PEABODY -- And on the fifth day, Wes Welker returned to square one.

After beginning the week on an optimistic note, signing his franchise tender, then saying that things had “gotten worse” in his contract talks with the Patriots, the receiver appeared to reverse field again on Saturday morning, saying that his negative comments were “probably a bad choice of words,” and adding that he’s “completely happy” with his situation in New England at this point.

“That was probably a bad choice of words, saying they had gotten worse,” he said during a break at his football camp Saturday morning at Bishop Fenwick High School. “They’ve stayed the same. I’m franchised for the year, and I’m completely happy with that. I’m completely OK with it. I look forward to contributing to the team in 2012.

“I’m excited to be back. I’m excited to be a Patriot. I’m excited to be out there on the field coming up with OTA's and minicamps with my teammates. I’m looking forward to the 2012 season and us going out there and getting better.”

It’s been an eventful week for the wide receiver. Speaking with WEEI on Monday, Welker sounded an optimistic note on things, saying that when it comes to working out a deal, “I think we’re all on the same page. ... We’re all on the same page and we’re trying to work toward something.” That was followed on Tuesday by his decision to sign the tender, a one-year, $9.5 million package.

But that’s when things turned. On Thursday, he told the Herald that talks had actually “gotten worse,” and that the decision to sign the one-year, $9.5 million guaranteed deal Tuesday was not a result of progress in negotiations. On Friday, the Globe reported that Welker’s comments regarding his contract situation had not been well received by the Patriots.

But then -- perhaps chastened by his advisors -- Welker appeared to be doing damage control on Saturday.

“I’m not frustrated whatsoever,” he said. “I’m ... I know the words that came out made it seem that way, but I’m not frustrated at all. I’m making five times more than what I did last year. There’s no frustration there.”

When Welker signed his tender on Tuesday, he Tweeted: “I signed my tender today. I love the game and I love my teammates! Hopefully doing the right thing gets the right results. #leapoffaith” Asked about what the hashtag meant Saturday, he shrugged.

“I’m going out there and wanting to help the team win,” he said. “I don’t know. ... It’s probably not the wisest choice of words. But sometimes you react on emotion once in a while and it gets the best of you. I’m just excited to be on the team and excited to go out there and help the team win in 2012.”

Asked if he was disappointed that the two sides hadn’t been able to reach an accord on a long-term deal, Welker said he was “totally content” with his current situation, adding that he was “looking forward to moving forward and getting ready for the 2012 season.”

“It is what it is. I just enjoy playing ball and I enjoy being out there and enjoy playing the game. That’s never going to change,” said the 31-year-old Welker, who said he plans on being present for the start of OTA's on Monday. “You can get caught up in it and react silly sometimes, but you know what? We’re getting paid to play a game we love, and there’s no need to get into everything else about it.

“It’s all relative. My outlook on it is to just go out there and play the game that I love to play and play as hard as I can and let everything else take care of itself. That needs to be my outlook on things, and I’m playing on a great team, and in some way, I’m trying to contribute to that team.”

Welker said he doesn’t believe this will be his last season in New England.

“No, I don’t forsee that happening,” he said. “I just take it a day at a time.”

Welker has topped 100 catches in four of his last five seasons (all with New England), and finished last year with 122 catches (tops in the NFL) and 1,569 yards (second in the league). At the same time, he knows history tells us that undersized slot receivers -- especially those over the age of 30 -- have a limited shelf life.

Of course, it doesn’t mean he’s not going to try to buck the trend.

“I know probably history and stats are against me,” Welker said. “But you know what? They’ve been that way my whole career, so I’m not too worried about that. I’ll just continue to work hard and train hard and do the things I’ve done to get myself here and continue to do more of it. Hopefully play at a high level the whole time.”