On Sunday, Rob Gronkowski moved past Troy Brown and into third place in New England Patriots history in career receiving yards.
But as productive as Gronkowski has been for the Patriots, he still needs more than 1,000 yards to pass the man ranked second on that list.
That would be Wes Welker, who revolutionized the slot receiver position during his time in New England. Despite spending just six seasons with the Patriots, Welker racked up 7,459 receiving yards — an average of 1,243.2 yards per season and 80.2 per game.
Only Patriots legend Stanley Morgan, who played 13 seasons for the team, has more, racking up 10,352 receiving yards before leaving New England in 1990.
Welker, now an assistant coach with the Houston Texans, ended his Patriots tenure after the 2012 season, but quarterback Tom Brady still holds him in very high regard. In an interview for Welker’s edition of “A Football Life,” which premieres this Friday night on NFL Network, Brady said the retired wideout was “everything you want in a football player.”
“He had such a level of production,” Brady continued. “I had so much belief in when he could get open, and every important play ended up going in his direction.”
The documentary special also features interviews with Peyton Manning, Welker’s quarterback with the Denver Broncos, and Mike Leach, his college coach at Texas Tech. Leach delivered the best line of the above preview, saying, “Wes Welker didn’t have any scholarship offers because he’s short and slow.”
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
