Last month, Patriot wide receiver Wes Welker said he was “in no rush” to sign his tender, and two weeks ago said on ESPNBoston radio that he was leaning toward not taking part in the team’s June mini-camp.

Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe reports that Welker announced on his Twitter feed that he did sign, writing: “I signed my tender today. I love the game and I love my teammates! Hopefully doing the right thing gets the right results. #leapoffaith”

For the moment, Welker will receive a one-year, fully guaranteed $9.515 million for the 2012 season, though he and the team could still negotiate a different, longer-term deal.

The Patriots raised some eyebrows when they took safety Tavon Wilson in the second round last month.

Now that he’s under contract, we’ll get to find out what they saw in him that draft pundits overlooked. The Patriots announced Tuesday that they have reached agreement on a four-year deal with Wilson. The team also announced that they have released quarterback Mike Hartline.

Wilson should battle Steve Gregory for the starting job at free safety this summer. The Patriots hope that his speed — Wilson, who also played cornerback at times in college, ran a 4.52 40 — translates to playmaking ability on the back end for a secondary that was looking under every rock it could find for help last season.

Wilson is the first of the seven New England draft picks to sign a contract. As Florio pointed out over the weekend, the contracts of first-round picks Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower might be more difficult to negotiate than it has seemed in this year of painless rookie contract signings.

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All he knew was that the Patriots wanted him here. So much so that they traded up to select the former Syracuse defensive end at No. 21 overall last month.

So, no better time than the present to start showing they made the right decision, right?

“I’m just going in there blind,” Jones said, as he donned his new No. 95 shorts and a grey Patriots t-shirt. “Just taking it one day at a time.”

Jones, 22, is among several new Patriots eager to be seen this weekend, as the 2012 roster begins to take shape at Foxborough.

“A lot of people tell me I only get the opportunity to make one first impression. This week is my opportunity to make a first impression,” Jones said. “What I’m trying to do is learn this playbook and impress the coaches.”

How the staff views him in the early going is important to Jones, but the education element is an even bigger factor during this first weekend.

“”The key is to learn all the dos and don’ts. Be a sponge,” he said. “Know your role and earn respect from everyone. It’s just the different trends and learning different ways, and getting in with the guys and build trust with them.”

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound lineman took the field at the Dana Farber Fieldhouse, next to Gillette Stadium, along with 19 other minicamp roster invitees for an elongated walkthrough. The players went through some stretching and agility drills before breaking off into positional groups. The players were unable to participate in contact drills, due to offseason NFL restrictions.

The Patriots’ other six drafts picks were also in attendance, including the team’s other first-round selection, linebacker Dont’a Hightower.

New England will conclude the two-day minicamp at Gillette Saturday.

On Thursday, the Patriots announced several coaching moves, including Matt Patricia being moved into the defensive coordinator slot. That position was vacant last season, when the Patriots won the AFC title and lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Patricia coached the safeties last year, and was formerly the linebackers coach for five years.

Also Thursday, the team confirmed that it had signed running back Joseph Addai. A former first-round draft pick who played six seasons for the Indianapolis Colts, Addai has gained 4,453 yards on 1,095 carries with 39 rushing touchdowns in his career.

Darrelle Revis was mum on his contract situation today, but what he did want to talk about was perceived disrespect from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. During the offseason, he called the coach a “jerk” during a televised word association game according to Conor Orr of the Newark Star-Ledger

He stood by his words when asked to clarify.

“I feel like people let him slide when he says his smart remarks and certain things and he says comments about us like he never coached here, which he did, and that’s how I felt,” Revis said. “They told me to sum it up and I gave one word. He can take it however he wants, he can say whatever he wants to say back and even if he says something back I’m not going to get into jarring with him, I said what I had to say, he still has to coach and I still have to go out there and play.

“Sometimes things are disrespectful when you say certain comments about the Jets, some stuff is disrespectful, it’s okay to have a rivalry, it’s okay to compete but when it gets personal, that’s when it gets disrespectful. I didn’t start this battle, you know, the smart remarks he says it’s ignorant, it’s ignorant to this organization.”

When asked what specifically Belichick said, Revis pointed to post-game remarks made by the coach last season on the field.

“The one talking about the best defense, they can suck my…all that stuff, that’s ignorant, why go there?” Revis said. “You won, fair and square, hey we shok your hand after the game. But when you start saying stuff like that it gets too personal. You don’t have to say that, did anyone else say anything like that? No. Not from our side. Bart said his can’t wait thing, but he didn’t disrespect, he said they felt like they were better than us, he didn’t say go suck…do this or do that. It’s personal, it’s disrespectful.”

Jabar Gaffney who was the leading pass catcher for the Redskins last year and was released recently, is back with the Patriots.

The Pats re-signed Gaffney, who has played 10 NFL seasons, three of them with the Patriots from 2006-08.

In New England, he caught 84 passes for 1,059 yards and eight touchdowns. He has also played for Houston, Denver and Washington.

In all, Gaffney has 443 receptions for 5,622 yards and 24 touchdowns.

“We were shocked to hear of the initial reports regarding Junior Seau earlier today and are deeply saddened by the news of his death. We were fortunate to have had Junior join the Patriots in 2006 and are thankful for his many contributions to the team over the next four years. He had a legendary NFL career and his unrivaled passion for the game quickly made him a fan favorite here in New England.

“This is a sad day for the entire Patriots organization, our coaches and his many Patriots teammates. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to his family and his many friends who will mourn this loss.”

In yet another tragic tale, former Chargers and Pats star linebacker Junior Seau was found shot to death at his home Wednesday morning in what police said appeared to be a suicide.

Seau, who leaves behind three kids and a wife, was just 43.

Police Chief Frank McCoy said Seau’s girlfriend reported finding him unconscious with a gunshot wound to the chest and lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful. A gun was found near him, McCoy said.

Seau’s mother appeared before reporters, weeping uncontrollably.

“I don’t understand … I’m shocked,” Luisa Seau cried out.

Her son gave no indication of a problem when she spoke to him by phone earlier this week, she said.

“He’s joking to me, he called me a ‘homegirl,’” she said.

Seau was a standout linebacker with the University of Southern California before going to the Chargers, whom he led to the Super Bowl following the 1994 season.

“Everyone at the Chargers is in complete shock and disbelief right now. We ask everyone to stop what they’re doing and send their prayers to Junior and his family,” the team said in a statement.

Seau’s death follows the suicide last year of former Chicago Bears player Dave Duerson, who also shot himself in the chest.

Seau remained with the Chargers until 2003 and went on to play with the Dolphins and Patriots before retiring after the 2009 season.

In October 2010, Seau survived a 100-foot plunge down a seaside cliff in his SUV, hours after he was arrested for investigation of domestic violence at the Oceanside home he shared with his girlfriend. The woman had told authorities that Seau assaulted her during an argument.

There was no evidence of drugs or alcohol involved in the crash and Seau told authorities he fell asleep while driving. He sustained minor injuries.

Seau spent parts of 20 seasons in the NFL, including his 1990-2002 stint with his hometown Chargers. He helped them to their only Super Bowl appearance, was voted to a team-record 12 straight Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro six times.

He amassed 545 tackles, 56½ sacks and 18 interceptions in his career.

“Twenty years, to be part of this kind of fraternity, to be able to go out and play the game that you love, and all the lessons and the friends and acquaintances which you meet along the way, you can’t be in a better arena,” Seau said last August after the Chargers announced he would be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.

Seau was the fifth pick overall in the 1990 draft out of Southern California, and stayed with the Charges until being traded to the Dolphins. He came out of retirement a few times to play with the Patriots in search of a Super Bowl ring and was with the team when they lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl following the 2007 season, which ended New England’s quest for a perfect season.

Brad Herman, TE, Iowa

Jeremiah Warren, OL, South Florida

Marcus Zusevics, OT, Iowa