One of the major concerns heading into free agency for the New England Patriots has been wide receiver Wes Welker. The team has struggled to strike up a new deal with Welker, but it appears that his return to New England is inevitable according to Peter King of Sports Illustrated as of March 11:
Some teams were talking to agents over the weekend and implying that if your guy doesn't take what we're going to offer, we've got two or three others we can get for less money. One of the spots that could be happening is slot receiver, where Wes Welker (widely believed to be staying in New England), Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman and lesser others clog the market. Another is tackle, with a plethora of candidates who could push prices down.
The Patriots may be forced to field a very different team on the offensive side of the football next season. The writing appears to be on the wall in New England for veteran Brandon Lloyd and it still remains to be seen if a long-term deal can ultimately be completed with Welker before another team comes along in free agency with an offer that can’t be topped by the storied NFL franchise.
Although Welker will almost certainly receive considerable interest from other teams once he officially hits the free agent market on Tuesday, re-signing with the Patriots will be the best fit for the veteran wideout.
Welker’s numbers have been incredible over the last six seasons in New England and will most likely continue to be with Tom Brady throwing him the football, but that may very well change on another squad if he chooses to take the big paycheck over playing on a legitimate Super Bowl title contender on an annual basis.
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