Wes Welker Has "Mild Disdain" for the Patriots
According to nfl.com's Gregg Rosenthal, Wes Welker and the Patriots are both looking to get this deal done; however, Welker is reportedly still bitter and holds "mild disdain" because of how Coach Belichick and the Patriots used him at the beginning of last year. He was essentially Julian Edelman's backup at the beginning of last year, and apparently Welker thinks he may not have gotten back in the rotation if Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski did not get injured. Either way, Rosenthal goes on to say that the Patriots are in need of wide receivers, and quite frankly, Wes Welker needs Brady and the Patriots because it is the only scheme he has really been successful in.
I agree with Rosenthal. Welker played two season outside of New England and he had one touchdown and under 100 catches. Since joining Tom Brady, he has had the most receptions in league history over that span. Even with his early benching, Welker still was targeted more times this past year than any year prior. Why would he want to leave New England!? He still has not won a Super Bowl, and I guarantee if he leaves he will not win one anywhere else. If Welker goes to get big money elsewhere, we will see a Deion Branch rerun, and Welker will come crawling back as a shell of his former self.
Having said that, when your quarterback throws to a guy that often (174 targets last year), you know he is an important receiver. Gronk and Hernandez are great but they barely spent any time on the field together last season because of injuries, Brandon Lloyd apparently has an attitude problem and will not return, Edelman fights injuries, and that leaves almost nobody for Brady to throw to. The Patriots are in a bind, and yet so is Wes. They both need this, and with Dwayne Bowe going back to the Chiefs, they need it badly. Sign Wes now and then sign Mike Wallace!