Welker introduced as a Bronco, thanks New England

BOSTON (WHDH) -- It’s official. Wes Welker is a Denver Bronco.

The longtime New England Patriot was officially introduced as Denver’s newest receiver at a press conference Thursday.

The first thing Welker did when he stepped up to the podium was thank New England.

Yes, he wanted to stay a Patriot, but he admits that as free agency went on he got the feeling it was time to explore other opportunities. The translation: The Patriots weren’t serious about re-signing him.

“As free agency kind of went on, you know you kind of, you kind of got the feeling…Start looking for other opportunities...Denver was a, I felt would be a great fit for me with their offense and how they run things and everything else and so it worked out,” said Welker.

He said it came down to two teams -- the Patriots and the Broncos. Welker made the pitch to the Broncos, telling John Elway and the Broncos that he wanted to win above everything else and they would figure out the money later. Welker signed for $12 million over two years.

Welker said he has not heard from Bill Belichick since he signed, but they wish each other the best and they separated on good terms.

"I feel like everything was good. I think anytime you're a competitor, you're going to clash at times and everything else, but overall, we've always had a great relationship and everything's on good terms, and I have no ill feelings or anything else. And I think the fans there and everything else and I look forward to bringing my same style of play here to Denver and trying to help this team win,” said Welker.

Welker had no choice but to move on.

"Definitely probably the hardest part was leaving Tom [Brady], but you know he's a great competitor, great player, great friend across the board so you know, wish the best to him,” said Welker.

Welker officially agreed to terms to join the Broncos on Wednesday, but his days in New England may have been numbered before he even made that decision. Comcast SportsNet reported the Patriots signed Danny Amendola on Tuesday -- another sign the Patriots were ready to move on from Welker.