All-Pro safety Eric Weddle wants to win a championship before he retires, and he has a team in mind that could help him achieve that goal. The 31-year-old free agent told Peter King of MMQB he sees himself as “a good fit” with the New England Patriots, though he’s not afraid to point out the weirdness factor of such an outcome.
“It would be funny if I ended up there,” said Weddle, per King. “We’ve played them so many times. The thing I like about them is they don’t have an ego. It’s insane to think about how good they’ve been. I’ve been to just one AFC championship game. They’ve been there every year. You respect it, you envy it, you admire it.”
He also made it clear that he sees himself playing for a while longer, especially if he’s playing for a contender.
“I’ve got three to five years left in me,” Weddle said Saturday. “I want to go somewhere I have a chance to win a Super Bowl. Until last year I’ve never been injured. I’ve never had surgery. I don’t drink, I don’t go out. My shoulders, back, legs, hip, they’re all fine. I think I bring a lot to a team.”
It’s worth noting Weddle’s statistics have fallen off a cliff the past two years in San Diego. He registered just one interception in 2014 and none last year, playing on a generally bad defense in San Diego. However, while he isn’t quite as dynamic as he was in he heyday, there is no doubt he’s still one of the NFL’s top safeties on the back end.
If he were to join New England’s corps of defensive backs he’d be surrounded by much more talent overall, which makes a huge difference. So many times with the Chargers these past couple of seasons, Weddle made up for the mistakes of others, which took him out of position to come up with the splash plays that made him famous.
New England isn’t the only destination that attracts Weddle, though, per King. He also views the Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers as attractive franchises. Still, while all four NFL franchises have the ability to play at a high level, there is no doubt the Patriots have the upper hand in terms of consistent dominance.
If Weddle wants to go out on top, then he can’t go wrong picking the Pats, who have been to the AFC Championship Game the last five years running.