The free-agent signing period is here for the National Football League, and the New England Patriots have a significant decision to make regarding slot receiver Wes Welker: Give him more money or let him sign with another team.
We hope the Patriots make the right decision and re-sign Welker. He is a key spark plug that helps the Patriots’ rapid-paced and explosive offense fire smoothly on all cylinders. He allows quarterback Tom Brady to have a quick option to throw to if pass protection breaks down, or if Brady wants to get the ball up the field quickly.
It’s true that the Patriots are loaded with offensive weapons, such as Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez at tight end, and Julian Edelman is a Welker-like player ”“ but none of them are Welker. Last season, he caught 118 passes, and it would be difficult for the Patriots to replace that level of production.
It would also be tough for the Patriots to replace such a durable player. Besides a serious knee injury at the end of the 2009 season, Welker rarely misses a game because of injuries. The 5-foot-9 player ”“ small for an NFL receiver ”“ routinely gets nailed catching balls over the middle by players who can outweigh him by up to 70 pounds. Still, he bounces up off the turf and readies himself for the next play.
If Welker were to leave New England for more money, we wouldn’t blame him. Since joining the Patriots in 2007, he has made $27 million. During that time, he became the first player in NFL history to have three straight 110-catch seasons, and he led the league in catches in the ’07, ’09 and ’11 seasons. While $27 million in six years is a lot of money, it’s not much when compared to the game’s other top receivers. If New England doesn’t give him a generous offer, Welker could probably earn a three-year contract worth between $40-50 million with another team.
Brady recently re-signed for $9 million per year when he could have earned more than $20 million per year. This allows the Patriots to have more money to offer Welker a more lucrative deal and stay under the salary cap.
As of Monday, neither side has blinked in the negotiations, and the Patriots are playing a high-stakes poker game ”“ one they don’t want to lose because they are unwilling to pay Welker what he deserves.
The scary part for Patriots fans, however, is the team has a history under coach Bill Belichick of letting good players go because the franchise was unwilling to pay. Richard Seymour, Asante Samuel and Adam Vinatieri are just a few of the big names that bolted New England for more money.
The Patriots cannot allow Welker to add his name to that list because there are not a lot of great options available to the Pats if he does sign with another team.
Edelman looks like Welker on the field, and at times can play like him, but he was a quarterback in college and his body isn’t conditioned to take the punishment like Welker’s is.
Picking up the St. Louis Rams’ Danny Amendola is an option. He’s a good slot receiver, but like Edelman, he is injury prone. The Cleveland Browns’ Josh Cribbs is also an option, but after catching a career-high 41 passes in 2011, he only caught 12 last season. He wouldn’t replace Welker’s reliability.
No one would be surprised if Welker walks away from the team, especially when looking at his up-and-down relationship with the Patriots. The team didn’t start him in the first two games of the 2012 season, and instead utilized Edelman. Belichick also benched him at the start of 2010 AFC playoff game against the New York Jets after he made some amusing comments about Jets’ coach Rex Ryan’s foot fetish.
It will be interesting to see how this ends up. We know that Welker has a great relationship with Brady, which could be a factor, but he would be crazy to not take more money, as NFL players’ careers are short. There are definitely teams, such as the Dallas Cowboys and the Indianapolis Colts, who could use his talent and offer to pay him well for it.
Let’s hope the Patriots will do the same.
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Today’s editorial was written by Sports Editor Al Edwards on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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