Reggie Wayne Thought Playing For The Patriots Was ‘Too Tough’
Reggie Wayne is apparently not a fan of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s style of coaching and considered it “too tough” and “not fun,” according to CBS Sports. The 36-year-old veteran wide receiver signed with the Patriots on August 24 and only appeared in two games. He was cut on Saturday after he apparently requested a release from the Patriots. While many analysts speculated that this information was put out there so Wayne could save face, Belichick confirmed that it was a mutual decision between both parties. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network provided Belichick’s response on his Twitter account.
“Mutually agreed upon” RT @Patriots: Bill Belichick on Reggie Wayne: pic.twitter.com/st2BQ6bb5L
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 5, 2015
According to ESPN, Wayne is open to playing for another team, but the situation has to be the right one. Previously, Wayne said that he picked the Patriots because he wanted a chance to win a Super Bowl. According to current odds in Vegas, the Patriots have a 15 to 2 chance to win the Super Bowl. The Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks are the only other two teams in the NFL with odds those good. Wayne’s former team, the Indianapolis Colts, are fourth on the list with 8 to 1 odds. In other words, Wayne wants to play on a team that has a chance to win, but he wants a more laid back style of coaching.
Many fans are taking offense to Wayne not wanting to play because he considers the Patriots situation to be too hard. He actually received a signing bonus worth $450,000, which he gets to keep despite only being with the team for less than two weeks.
While Wayne is not the same player that he once was, he still provides a veteran presence in the locker room and can be a mentor for younger wide receivers. Over his 14-year playing career, Wayne has 1,070 receptions, 14,345 yards, and 82 touchdowns, all for the Colts. After tearing his ACL in 2013, Wayne returned for a lackluster 2014 campaign. He had 64 receptions, 779 yards, and two touchdowns. He was noticeably slower, and things aren’t likely to improve moving forward.
If Reggie Wayne cannot find the right team for him that also has a chance to win, we may have seen the last of him in the NFL. Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star explained in a tweet that Wayne might sign a 1-day contract with the Colts, and then retire with them.
If this is indeed it for Reggie Wayne, have to assume he’ll sign a 1-day contract to retire with #Colts, a la Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) September 5, 2015
If Wayne does decide to go that route, he will only have ever played for the Indianapolis Colts in the regular season. With free agency so common in the NFL these days, Wayne will be a rare player that can say he only played for one team.
[Image via Jeff Gross/Getty Images]
