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Last week, FOX Sports' Mike Garafolo reported that veteran receiver Wes Welker was considering retirement after "several years of head injuries and declining production."
The report made sense, but Welker says it is not true.
Welker told the Denver Post's Mike Klis Monday that the idea of retirement "never ever came out of (his) mouth." Instead, he plans to play for two more years, according to CBS 4's Vic Lombardi.
Wes Welker told me he wants to play two more years.
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) February 16, 2015
Welker, 33, was born in May. So he would be turning 36 when he plans to hang up his cleats.
Over the course of the 2013 and 2014 seasons, Welker was a hot topic of discussion after suffering three concussions in a ten-month span. Some suggested that Welker should retire to protect his brain from any more damage. He has no plans to.
"As long as I've recovered the right way and everything like that, I'm ready to go," Welker told Kevin Van Valkenburg in an interview for ESPN the Magazine last December . "I really don't see any problem with it."
He suffered no concussions during the 2014 regular season, but his production took a big hit.
Welker signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Broncos in 2013. In 2014—the final year of that contract—Welker's numbers dropped in every significant category. His catches went from 73 in 2013 to 49 in 2014 and his touchdowns dropped from 10 to 2.
With second-year receiver Cody Latimer expected to have an increased role in Denver's offense next season, Welker may be viewed as expendable. He averaged just 58 yards a game last season.
Regardless of Denver's plans, Welker has made it clear that he intends to play somewhere in 2015. Denver must now decide if they want him back.