ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Wes Welker is saying goodbye to Tom Brady and hello to Peyton Manning.
After spending six years with Brady in New England, the Pro Bowl receiver agreed to a two-year deal Wednesday to team up with Manning in Denver.
Welker’s signing was the highlight of a big day for the Broncos, who again made a major splash in free agency.
Denver also came to terms on a two-year deal with defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, formerly of Jacksonville, and a one-year contract with linebacker Stewart Bradley, who played with the Cardinals the past two seasons.
Last year, the Broncos won the high-stakes contest to sign Manning, prompting Broncos boss John Elway to quip, “Plan B? I don’t have a Plan B. We’re going with Plan A.”
Coming off a 13-3 season during which the Broncos looked like a Super Bowl contender before losing to Baltimore in the division round of the playoffs, Elway is clearly on the same path this time.
He picked up the league’s most productive receiver to play in the slot where Brandon Stokley was last season. Welker’s five 100-catch seasons are the most in the NFL. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his past five seasons and was an All-Pro four of the past fiveyears.
Welker caught 118 passes for 1,354 yards and scored 6 touchdowns last year, helping the Pats go 12-4 and make the AFC title game before they also lost to Baltimore.
LIONS
Bush lands in Detroit
It’s football, but to use a baseball analogy, the Detroit Lions went 3 for 3 on Wednesday, with a couple home runs.
Reggie Bush, Glover Quin and Jason Jones - their top three targets in free agency, all at positions of need - agreed to multiyear contracts during visits to Detroit.
Bush is the headliner of the group, a former Heisman Trophy winner who won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints and should give the Lions’ running game an immediate jolt.
Quin was perhaps the best safety on the market, a converted cornerback whose range, coverage ability and history of staying healthy add a new dimension to a thin Lions secondary.
Jones, a former Southfield-Lathrup and Eastern Michigan standout, returns home to play defensive end on a line that could be losing its sack leader from the past two seasons.
Together, those signings, coupled with the return of cornerback Chris Houston (Arkansas Razorbacks), generated plenty of buzz across the NFL and inside the Lions’ Allen Park headquarters.
“We want to win,” Jones said. “I’m a part of it now. We want to win. To get the three people that they targeted, I’m pretty sure they’ll probably go out and find some more, but to get those three on the second day of free agency, it shows their commitment to winning.” BEARS
Kellen Davis released
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - TheChicago Bears have released tight end Kellen Davis.
The Bears announced the move Wednesday, one day after signing versatile tight end Martellus Bennett away from the New York Giants. Bennett spent one year with the Giants and had career highs with 55 receptions, 626 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Davis appeared in all 80 games with 35 starts over five seasons for the Bears. He had 47 receptions for 529 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2 playoff games, he had 2 catches for 42 yards and 1 TD.
The Bears also terminated the contract of tight end Matt Spaeth. Spaeth appeared in 91 games, including 56 starts, in six NFL seasons with Pittsburgh (2007-2010) and Chicago (2011-2012). He has 49 catches for 353 yards and 8 touchdowns in his career.
Sports, Pages 21 on 03/14/2013