Wes Welker is officially back on the NFL’s free agent market after being cleared to play by leading concussion expert Dr. Stanley Herring, per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver.
Welker’s career had been in doubt after the scrappy slot specialist suffered a handful of concussions the past couple of years.
Now that he has a clean bill of health, Welker is ready for action, though it seems clear by his comments he was ready to call it quits if things hadn’t turned out this way:
“I knew there were concerns out there but on top of that I wanted to know for my own peace of mind,” Welker said in a phone interview with 9News. “If there was something wrong, I wanted to know. The doctor said some people are able to take those hits. They get up and are able to come back from them. And there’s some people who get them and they’re never the same.”
“For me, everything came out all good. My cognitive tests were good. All kinds of tests came out good. I had a trip to Miami and they’re doctors said everything looked good.”
Welker is one of the best slot receivers in NFL history. In 11 years, he’s accumulated 9,822 receiving yards, along with 50 touchdowns, and is a five-time Pro Bowler with 2 First-Team All-Pro nods.
Given the insane production Welker has put up throughout his career, and given the ever-present need for talented receivers, you’d think it won’t be long before a receiver-needy team comes calling.
That said, given his history of concussions the past couple of years, it stands to reason teams might be wary of bringing him aboard.
My inclination is that Welker will be playing NFL football somewhere in 2015, and my gut tells me the team that takes a chance on him will not be sorry.
Photo: USA Today Sports