Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says the loss of his favorite receiver, Wes Welker, didn’t come as a surprise. Because Brady has been around long enough to know that there are no safe jobs in the NFL.
“I don’t think anything surprises me any more in the NFL,” Brady said on WEEI. “I’ve been around long enough to see things happen at different times with the greatest players of all, whether that’s Wes, or Randy Moss being traded from the Raiders, or Brett Favre playing for the Jets and the Vikings. That’s what happens. Like I said, it’s a very tough, competitive business.
There were reports after Welker signed with the Broncos that Brady was upset, but Brady declined to get into any of that.
“Of course I have feelings. But those feelings are very personal to me,” he said. “I used to get caught up in anger and frustration and disappointment. But I don’t make the decisions. These things aren’t up to me. At some point you’ve got to realize the things that are out of your control. You’ve just got to let go and focus on my job and what I need to do. Because the game moves on, the team moves on. There’s only so long you can dwell on the past. At some point you’ve got to move forward. Like I said, my job for my team is to be the best quarterback, and not the general manager and not the coach and not the owner.”
If Brady were the general manager or the coach or the owner, he’d probably list Welker as the first guy he’d want on his team. But as a quarterback, he’s committed to making it work with whatever receivers he has.