The New England Patriots have officially lost one of their key players over the last five years. Wes Welker is walking in free agency after feeling low-balled by the Patriots offer to re-sign the 32-year-old wide receiver.
One of Tom Brady’s favorite targets, New England was never as high on Welker as the future Hall of Fame quarterback. The team tried to get him the ball less in 2012, pushing Brady to throw to Julian Edelman and phase Welker out of the passing game.
The move backfired and Wes Welker finished 2012 with 1,354 receiving yards, the second highest number of his career.
Whether the Patriots really wanted Welker back or not remains in question. They did make him an offer though. Reports out of New England claim Wes Welker was low-balled by New England and offered significantly less money than he was expecting .
Already unhappy in New England, Welker has decided to walk in free agency. The dangerous slot receiver should receive plenty of interest from a number of teams. One team already reportedly interested is the Denver Broncos . It would be hard for Welker to complain about changing quarterbacks from one future Hall of Famer to another in Peyton Manning.
Welker would also make the Denver Broncos offense scarier then they were in 2012, Manning’s first year running the team. In eight seasons Wes Welker has five 1,000 yard campaigns. In 2011 he recorded 1,569 yard. Combined with the 1,354 yards he recorded last season it appears Welker is aging like a fine wine.
Here are Albert Breers’ tweets confirming Wes Welkers decision to test free agency:
Word around the league is the Patriots’ offer to Welker came in substantially lower than expected, and he’s seriously considering bolting NE
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 13, 2013
Welker is now looking at offers from other teams. This situation’s gone back and forth a lot, so nothing’s final.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 13, 2013
A number of big name wide receivers have been the move this offseason; Mike Wallace signed with Miami, Percy Harvin was traded to Seattle, and Anquan Boldin was traded to the 49ers, among others. Parody appears to be alive and well in the NFL heading into the 2013 season.
Are you surprised Wes Welker was low-balled by the Patriots to return for another season? How much money would you pay the aging super star?