Welker will be back for the 2012 season.
Welker will be back for the 2012 season.It's not the situation either side prefers, but Wes Welker will remain in New England for the upcoming season.
The Patriots placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on Welker Monday afternoon just before the 4 p.m. deadline, a move that will keep the wide receiver with the team at an expected salary of $9.4 million for the 2012 season.
Under the previous collective bargaining agreement, the amount paid under the franchise tag was equal to the average of the five highest-paid players at each position. The exact amount for this season is yet to be released by the NFL.
As a non-exclusive franchise player, Welker has the right to negotiate a contract with any team. The Patriots retain the right to match any offer and would receive two first-round draft picks if he is signed away.
Of the 21 players tendered a franchise tag, only New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is protected by exclusive rights.
The move does not prohibit the Patriots from working out a a long-term deal with Welker. The receiver, who will turn 31 on May 1, turned down a two-year, fully guaranteed $16 million offer during the season, according to a report by The Boston Globe.
The Patriots would prefer to get Welker on a longer deal with a lower annual salary. The last two players the team used the franchise tag on, offensive lineman Logan Mankins and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, eventually agreed to such deals.
Both parties have expressed a desire to come to a similar resolution, which will likely come at some point down the road. However, Welker now holds a degree of leverage and could hold out to force the team to agree to his terms.
“Wes Welker is a remarkable football player for our team and has been a vital component to our offense and special teams since we traded for him in 2007," the team said in a statement. "Utilizing the franchise designation allows both sides more time to try to reach an agreement, which is the goal. Wes remains a contractual priority and we are hopeful that he will remain a Patriot for years to come.”
Welker was previously on a five-year deal worth $18.5 million. During the life of that contract, he made four Pro Bowl teams, twice earned first-team All-Pro honors, and led the NFL in receptions three times, including 2011 when he caught 122 passes.
However, Welker's season ended with disappointment when he failed to catch a poorly thrown pass in the fourth quarter of a Super Bowl loss against the Giants that would have likely sealed victory.
He took the play hard and expressed his disappointment during a teary-eyed meeting with the media after the game.
Former offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, now the head coach at Penn State, recently stepped forward to defend Welker for the highly discussed mishap during an interview with the Providence Journal.
"I would tell (fans) they should be very grateful - I'm sure they are - to have a player like Wes Welker as a Patriot," O'Brien said. "He is what Boston is all about, in my opinion. He's a hard-working guy, he's a tough guy, he's an honest guy, nothing was ever given to him.
"That wasn't a drop. That would have been a tremendous catch, and he should never think twice about that. And it had nothing to do with us losing the game. There were many, many plays before that where we could have made better coaching decisions, and better plays. That's just one play of many.''
Now Welker will have at least 16 games to atone for that play.