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Wes Welker Joining Commanders Staff Recalls Perfect Throwback Photo with Kliff Kingsbury

The two played college football together at Texas Tech.

Mike Kadlick

Welker has coached in both San Francisco and Miami.
Welker has coached in both San Francisco and Miami. / David Butler II-Imagn Images
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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:

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
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.

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