No Franchise Tag used by New England: So where do the Patriots go from here?

The franchise tag deadline passed without event for the New England Patriots yesterday, meaning that none of the Patriots free agents are locked up for a year. And for me, this was the right call. The headline making FA's on the Patriots just aren't worth what we'd have to surrender to tag them.

So, what do the Patriots do between now and next week with their FA's? Here's my view:

Wes Welker - Sign him

Reports have come out saying that progress is being made in the signing of Welker, and that's a good sign. Welker and the Patriots just works, and though Wes has every right to get paid, I can't see him thriving in other offenses like he does in this one. And since when was it ever a good move to let go of a receiver who'll guarantee you 16 games, 100 catches and 1000 yards every year? 3 years, $27mil, $15mil guaranteed sound good? Good.

Sebastian Vollmer - Sign him

The Patriots O-Line is such an underrated part of the Patriots offense. The quick tempo offense we run would never work without a solid, intelligent O-Line, and I believe we need to keep Vollmer and Nate Solder together as the Tackle pairing for the next few years. The injuries are an issue, but in Bleacher Reports "NFL 1000", Vollmer was ranked as the 2nd best Right Tackle in the NFL. That's a commodity you can't just let walk. Andre Davis, another Free Agent Right Tackle, wants $9million a year, and there's no way I want to give that to Vollmer. The number one on the B/R list was Anthony Davis of the San Francisco 49ers. He's on a five-year, $26.5 million contract, with $15.954 million guaranteed (Source), and something in that range for Vollmer would be appropriate.

Aqib Talib - Let him walk

Talib is an interesting one, and it all depends on his demands. There's no question that when he came into the team, he improved the secondary no end. He came in, and when in man coverage he was able to lock down the receivers he faced. But, was his performance just magnified because the secondary was so horrible before, and then became serviceable, with Devin McCourty at safety too. Also, in zone coverage, Talib looked less than impressive. In my view, I'd like Talib to stay, but I believe he'll be looking for too much. I think we can find another Free Agent with less demands and character issues who can come in and do the same job for us.

What do you think we should do before Free Agency starts? Comment below or tell me on Twitter @BrendanAnnely