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Wes Welker Joining Commanders Staff Recalls Perfect Throwback Photo with Kliff Kingsbury
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Former New England Patriots and Denver Broncos star wide receiver Wes Welker is continuing his coaching career in 2025, as he's reportedly joining the Washington Commanders staff.
The move not only lands him his fourth NFL coaching job since retiring in 2015, but will also re-unite him with one of his former quarterbacks. Welker and Kliff Kingsbury, Washington's offensive coordinator, played college football together at Texas Tech from 2000 to '02.
ESPN's Peter Schrager shared an awesome throwback picture of the two on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday:
Wes Welker joining Kliff Kingsbury's staff is a full circle deal. Here they are 20+ years ago in Lubbock. pic.twitter.com/TVm0XRNR9V
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 7, 2025
Quite the full-circle moment for the former Red Raiders.
No stranger to high-flying offenses during their time together in Lubbock, Kingsbury and Welker will look to build on a successful 2024 season in Washington. Behind the performance of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders scored 28.5 points per game—good for seventh in the NFL—on their way to the NFC Championship Game.
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Mike Kadlick is an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.