Reggie Wayne will go down in history as one of the better and more underrated wide receivers in NFL history. He spent 14 seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts. In that time, Wayne racked up 1070 receptions for 14,345 yards 82 receptions.
Despite his impressive career in Indy, it is not this time with the Colts that Wayne claims is the “best job ever.”
That distinction goes to another team. According to Dave Birkett of freep.com, Wayne “best job” came with the New England Patriots, where he spent two weeks before deciding to retire rather than play a 15th season. Wayne explained,
“Before I get there, Bill Belichick says, ‘Hey, Reg. you got to work out' … So I said, ‘All right. You, Bill Belichick, all right, I’ll work out for you. Y’all New England. OK, I’ll work out for New England.’”
Wayne agreed to join the Patriots and he was paid a $450,000 signing bonus. When he retired, he fully expected to have to give that money back. However, New England head coach Bill Belichick thought otherwise. Wayne continued,
“I went up to him and I said, ‘Hey, this is what it. I know got a signing bonus. I’ll give it back, no biggie … Bill Belichick told me to keep it. Told me to keep it. I’m like, ‘Hey, you ain’t got to bend my arm back twice.’ He told me to keep it. And that was love, man. And I always had respect for him. I’ve heard people and seen stuff that he’s done on camera of his respect for me, and maybe that was just his sign of appreciation. We had a lot of battles against that team, so he told me to keep it. We kept it in the bank. I appreciate it. Hey, the best job ever.”
Wayne certainly has a point — earning $450,000 without having to do anything is a good gig to have.
Clearly, Wayne isn't slighting Indianapolis with his comments, considering his long and successful Colts career. But getting nearly half a million dollars that easy certainly would make his two weeks with the Patriots the best job he ever had.
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