NFL Rumors: Patriots Considering Reunion With Franchise Legend

The Patriots already brought back two franchise greats to join their coaching staff this offseason, and New England might be on the verge of reuniting with a third.

The chain of events started with Mike Vrabel, a three-time Super Bowl champion linebacker who replaced Jerod Mayo as Patriots head coach. Vrabel wasted little time putting together a staff, which included adding Josh McDaniels for his third stint as New England’s offensive coordinator.

McDaniels will help oversee a slate of offensive position coaches, but one of those spots remains unfilled. The Patriots still need a new wide receivers coach, and there reportedly is a chance one of the best to ever play the position in Foxboro, Mass., will claim the role.

“Wes Welker, who coached receivers in San Francisco (2019-21) and Miami (2022-24), is among the options the Patriots have considered, according to league sources,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote in a column published Sunday. “Welker’s coaching career began in Houston under Bill O’Brien in 2017, when Vrabel was defensive coordinator.

“And, of course, he played for McDaniels in New England. So, there’s history there if both sides feel it’s a fit.”

Adding Welker would help the Patriots stick with an apparent critical theme of their offseason: familiarity. Virtually all of the coaches and executives New England added after hiring Vrabel either worked with the Patriots previously or spent time on a staff with the new head coach in the past.

Welker, who made Super Bowl runs in New England and Denver as a player and with San Francisco as a coach, also knows what it takes to build a winning environment. So for many reasons, the Patriots hiring their all-time receptions leader to coach wideouts makes a lot of sense.