Former NFL wide receiver Wes Welker reportedly suffered at least six concussions during his career, but he said he’s not spending time worrying about his brain.

“I can’t sit here and worry about it; I don’t want to live my life that way,” Welker said Wednesday. “Is there a possibility (of long-term implications)? Maybe, I don’t know. We’ll have to see how everything kind of happens, I guess.

“I’m going to try to do everything I can to put myself in a position where I’m healthy and hopefully good. If I’m good, then great. At the same time, I’m not going to live my life worrying if my brain is going to explode at any second.”

Welker, 36, played for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams during his 12 seasons in the NFL. He caught 903 passes for 9,924 yards with 50 touchdowns.

Welker’s best seasons were with the Patriots. He had at least 111 receptions and 1,150 receiving yards during five of his six seasons with the Patriots and led the NFL in receptions three times.

A slot receiver, Welker developed a reputation for catching passes in the middle of the field and absorbing hard hits. That style led to the concussions, a style Welker said he wished he would’ve altered when he was younger, now that he knows the possible long-term impact of those hits and his health.

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“Do I wish, looking back, (that I) would have gone out of bounds or gotten down, earlier in my career especially? There’s always a warrior mentality, but trying to be smart about some of those things; I mean, yeah, I probably would have,” Welker told espn.com. “When you don’t have any concussions and you’re just kind of going out there recklessly, you’re 20-something years old, you don’t think about it. You just go play.”

CARDINALS: Arizona re-signed nine-year NFL veteran Chris Johnson to a one-year contract.

The 31-year-old running back played only four games last season before a groin injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

He led the Cardinals in rushing in 2015 with 814 yards, but his playing time diminished with the emergence of All-Pro David Johnson.

CHIEFS: Kansas City signed its first-round draft pick, quarterback Patrick Mahomes II.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal would be for four years – the standard rookie contract.

Mahomes, who played at Texas Tech, is expected to back up Alex Smith. Smith is playing out the final year of his contract, and the Chiefs aren’t expected to re-sign him for 2018.

COWBOYS: Dallas is bringing back linebacker Justin Durant for a second season in his second stint with the team.

Durant, 31, played for the Cowboys in 2013-14 before going to Atlanta as a free agent for one year. He returned to the Cowboys last season, finishing with 54 tackles in a reserve role.


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