Trying to make sense of a senseless situation.
Wes Welker is a Denver Bronco.
It’s going to take some time to get used to sentence.
And it’s also going to take some time to sort through all the fallout and figure out what happens next, but in the meantime here are some initial thoughts on the surprising divorce between Welker and the New England Patriots.
NOT MUCH INTEREST: Not much about this situation makes sense. It seems foolish -- or worse -- to let Welker walk over $2 million (Broncos offered $12 million over two years; the Patriots came in at $10), but we’re assuming that Bill Belichick looks at Welker’s production over the last six years the same way we do.
It's now apparent that he doesn't.
Belichick has a plan -- he always does -- but it's hard to blindly follow behind this time. Not when the difference between keeping the best slot receiver in the NFL was $2 million. And certainly not when you realize that Belichick paid Chad Ochocinco $6 million (the average annual value of Welker's deal with Denver) to catch 15 passes in 2011.
It will be argued that the Patriots made it clear last season that tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski are the future of the offense by signing the duo to contract extensions, but if you're willing to offer Welker $5 million, why not go the extra million? It makes no sense.
There seems to be more going on here, perhaps something personal. Tension has been brewing beneath the surface since Welker was given the franchise tag last winter. Relations became further strained when the Patriots started Julian Edelman over Welker last season. A more cynical observer may suggest that the tension manifested in a middle finger being raised when it came time for New England to match Denver's offer.
But for now, we'll assume Belichick has a plan (And that plan is Danny Amendola. Makes more sense now. Still have to wonder about some of the things going on with Welker).
COMPARISONS TO 2006: Parallels are already being drawn to the 2006 season when Deion Branch left for Seattle and Tom Brady was forced to throw passes to the likes of Reche Caldwell and an aging Troy Brown.
This comparison isn’t entirely fair. The Patriots aren’t done constructing their roster, and the 2006 team didn’t have anyone near the caliber of Gronkowski and Hernandez. If both remain healthy (and that’s a big if), then this team will have much more firepower than it did in 2006.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Patriots are reportedly now interested in Danny Amendola.
While it’s fair to compare him to Welker in terms of style and ability, Amendola comes with injury concerns. The 27-year-old has missed 20 games over the last two seasons, though he did manage 666 receiving yards in 11 games last season.
Given good health, it’s easy to see Amendola flourishing in New England’s offense.
If the Patriots strikeout there, it’s possible that Hernandez could be asked to play out of the slot. He already spend the majority of his time split out wide, so it wouldn’t be a difficult transition.
West Virginia slot receiver Tavon Austin could also be an option in the draft.
BRADY’S THOUGHTS: Brady has been down this road before with Branch and safety Lawyer Milloy, one of his closer friends, were pushed out of New England.
He’s too much of a professional to allow it to impact his play or relationship with the organization. But he wasn’t happy then, and it’s doubtful that he’s happy now. After Milloy was released, Brady said the NFL is “as cutthroat as cutthroat can be.”
Considering Brady’s relationship with Welker (their families vacation together) and the fact that he restructured his contract to make it easier to retain Welker, that quote seems to fit this situation quite well.