After 14 years as a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Reggie Wayne will have a new home in 2015. The veteran receiver has signed one-year a deal with the New England Patriots, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Wayne visited with the team over the weekend and took a physical Sunday.
Reggie Wayne agrees to 1-year deal with Patriots, per report
Wayne could add some veteran depth to a thin Patriots receiving corps, and will certainly add even more spice to the Colts/Pats rivalry.
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Wayne might have played out his entire career with the Colts if not for an ACL tear suffered last season. The injury knocked the receiver out for most of 2014 and, coupled with his age (36), gave the team enough concerns that it decided against retaining him.
It took a while for any team to come calling as Wayne was still recovering from his injuries. He had offseason surgery and that kept him on the open market well past the typical signing period for free agents. But just a couple weeks before training camp, we started to hear about more teams being interested in Wayne, who has said he wants to play one more season in the league.
Along with Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, Wayne helped revitalize the Colts in the 2000s as a regular title contender. He was a key member of the 2006 team that defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. When Harrison retired after the 2008 season, Wayne became the undisputed No. 1 target in Indy's offense. That year, he helped the Colts return to the Super Bowl, though they were defeated by the New Orleans Saints 31-17. After Manning left in 2012, Wayne became the safety blanket for replacement Andrew Luck. That year, Wayne became one of the oldest players in NFL history to record 100 catches and 1,350 yards in a season.
Wayne finished the 2014 season No. 1 among active players in receiving yards with 14,345, good for eighth overall in NFL history. The active player with the second-most receiving yards is Andre Johnson, Wayne's former teammate at the University of Miami and his replacement in Indianapolis. Wayne is not the Colts' career leader though, as he trails Harrison by a mere 235 yards.
The Patriots entered training camp with a stable crop of wide receivers, but injured have piled up and the team is in a pinch now. Julian Edelman is still dealing with an undisclosed injury suffered early in camp, Brandon LaFell is on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and guys like Aaron Dobson, Brian Tyms and Brandon Gibson are all dealing with injuries, too.
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