Tom Brady recruited his former top receiver to help him stay sharp during his suspension

Stephan Savoia/AP

Tom Brady's four-game suspension is nearing its halfway point, and although Jimmy Garoppolo appears to have things under control for the Patriots, Brady still needs to keep himself in shape for his Week 5 return.

That's why he's recruited his old pal Wes Welker as a throwing partner. 

Welker, who played for six season with Brady in New England and is currently a free agent, will be in New England this weekend for the Patriots' home opener against Miami.

On a Miami radio show earlier this week, Welker said that he texted Brady to see if his old quarterback wanted to get dinner while he was in town.

Brady had a different idea.

Said Welker:

"I hit him up to do dinner Saturday night. He's like, 'I'm going to be flying in from Ann Arbor later, but how about that morning we go throw?' And I'm just sitting there, I'm like, 'I was just thinking about dinner, but yeah, sure. I'll get over there early and we can throw a little bit."

Welker went on:

"It was just funny. I'm sitting there trying to have dinner and 'Hey, get your ass up here and let's go throw!' I'm like 'Geez, man, he's going to be running like two-minute drills in his backyard or something.'"

Brady is clearly growing restless being unable to even practice with his teammates. Assuming he doesn't force Welker to stick around Boston for the next two weeks, he'll probably have to go back to his old throwing partner, his wife Gisele Bündchen:

 Brady returns against the Browns in Week 5.