The Patriots and receiver Wes Welker have until 4pm today to come to a long term contract agreement. If not the 31 year old Welker will have to play under the franchise tag the Patriots placed on him at $9.5 million which is certainly not bad for one year. I would argue that it is overvalued for one season. Now under the gun and less than5 hours away from the franchise tag Welker and the Pats still have yet to come to terms on a long term deal. Not saying it can’t happen, but as I stated previously the writing is on the wall. Let’s look briefly into the reasons why the contract talks got this bad in the first place.
First off, the Patriots reportedly offered Welker a 2-3 year deal which Welker declined. The Patriots franchise is a business which I think a lot of fans are forgetting. Welker mentioned earlier in the offseason his displeasure with contract negotiations yet he gave in and signed the $9.5 franchise tender.
After Welker signed he posted on Twitter “ I signed my tender today. I love the game and I love my teammates. Hopefully doing the right thing gets the right results. #LeapOfFaith“
Now with this leap of faith he lost all leverage he had previously. Yes if he didn’t sign he could have lost half of that money but if Welker wanted a long term deal he should have went all in with a hold out. By signing the Patriots are guaranteed to get Welker for the upcoming 2012 season and Welker has zero ground to stand on. Good for New England bad for Welker. The Patriots offense has changed and will continue to change with the additions of Lloyd, Gaffney, and Stallworth. Also don’t overlook the return of Josh McDaniels calling the offensive plays. Josh liked to spread the ball around. With the additions at receiver and the red hot tight end duo of Gronk and Hernandez there are only so many balls to go around. Welker submitted and will have to wait until next offseason to either lower his asking price or test out free agency.
Take a look at it from the Patriots view. This offseason they targeted who they wanted for the long term and it wasn’t Wes Welker. It was Rob Gronkowski getting the long term 8 year deal. Rob Gronkowski is the future of the franchise, not Wes Welker. While nobody will match the production of Wes Welker, The Patriots have other ways to match the production with the tight ends and newly added receivers. One of the reasons I think the Patriots brought in so many old faces at receiver was for Tom Brady. This way he gets re-accustomed to players he was comfortable with in the past so this way if Welker does leave after next season, the blow will softened. The Patriots need to look at players offensively and say who can I build the offense around for the next decade. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez need to be recognized over Welker. Hernandez’s agent is already stirring up the pot and wants Hernandez to get paid as a receiver-not a tight end due to the receiving production he has had over the last two seasons. How will New England pay Gronk-Hernandez AND Welker. In a perfect world that would be ideal for Pats fans but this is a TEAM building process. The rest of the team needs to be accounted for. Aaron Hernandez needs to get paid before his asking price goes up any higher. Hernandez is much bigger and faster in the slot and would replace Welker. Right now Welker is a luxury to the Patriots offense not a focal point.
From Welker’s perspective he is the team’s best receiver. He has done everything the Patriot way and has been a team player. I don’t think that is being overlooked here. I think Bob Kraft recognizes that. If Welker has another 90 catch season maybe Welker will be rewarded for continuing to play at an elite level with all these other weapons on the squad- however I think he has to earn it this season. Wes Welker needs to prove that he can flourish with Gronkowski, Hernandez, Lloyd, Gaffney, and Stallworth on the roster. At best he will be #3 option receiving this season, likely #4. Welker has had to fight for everything his entire career and I don’t expect him to quit fighting now.
I am sure the Patriots want to resign Wes Welker. I am sure Tom Brady wants the Patriots to resign Wes Welker. Wes Welker wants the Patriots to resign Wes Welker. So if Wes Welker wants to be a Patriot long term he will sign a team friendly deal and finish out his career with Tom Brady. Wes Welker will need to work harder than ever this season to stand out from the crowd and show he deserves a long term deal. The Patriots have shown in the past that no one player is greater than the Patriots franchise. They showed this with Deion Branch and most recently Randy Moss. Both did not have the same success elsewhere as they did in the Patriots system. In the end Wes Welker needs the Patriots more than The Patriots need Wes Welker. In a mere few hours we will find out if Welker’s “Leap of Faith” was worth it. Either way he Patriots offense will be locked and loaded for the 2012 season. Get your tickets ready for the Patriots Air Show 2012.
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