Woodhead signs 2-year deal with San Diego

BOSTON (WHDH) -- Free agent Danny Woodhead is leaving New England.

This may sound familiar -- an undersized, popular Patriots player sees the writing on the wall, realizes the team probably won’t re-sign him to a new contract, and leaves the team for a new team that’s west of New England.

On Friday the name “Wes Welker” was replaced with “Danny Woodhead.”

The running back, affectionately known as “Woody” to his teammates, signed a two-year deal with the San Diego Chargers.

Woodhead joined the Patriots in 2010 and quickly filled a Kevin Faulk type role. The 5-foot, 6-inch running back proved his versatility by racking up over 100 touches a year running and receiving.

He also scored a touchdown in the Patriots last Super Bowl appearance against the New York Giants.

With the emergence of both Steven Ridley and Shave Vereen as Patriots primary running backs and the signing of Leon Washington on Thursday, this move by Woodhead was not only a possibility, but was expected.

But the Pats aren’t leaving the cupboard bare, signing Danny Amendola away from the Rams yesterday.

"I'm excited to be here. I'm excited to establish my own role here in New England. Just walking in the door you can tell it's a very family atmosphere. Everybody is a close-knit unit here. It's not spread out like other organizations. It's very welcoming. It's fun so far,” Amendola said.

And on Friday, former Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson also reportedly signed on the dotted line with the Pats.

So while fans get used to the comings and goings of free agency, they understand it's just business as usual in today's NFL.

"Yeah, there has to be some disappointment by Tom. But, hey, that's life in the NFL. He’ll have to get used to playing with some new players,” a fan said.