Wes Welker And The Patriots Can't Agree To Multi-Year Contract Before Deadline

Broncos sign Wes Welker to 2-year deal

Wes Welker and the Denver Broncos agreed to a two-year deal on Wednesday afternoon.

Wes Welker, Patriots Can't Agree To Contract Before Deadline

Wes Welker and the New England Patriots failed to reach a compromise on a long-term contract Monday. As a result, the 31-year-old wide receiver will play the 2012 season under the team's franchise tag before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Negotiations between the two sides were rocky throughout the offseason despite Welker coming off a career season during which he caught 122 passes for 1,569 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Patriots and Wes Welker have failed to reach agreement on a long-term contract, per a source with knowledge of the situation.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) July 16, 2012

Welker will earn $9.5 million next season under the franchise tender. In 2011, he played under a one-year tender despite an offer for two years, $16 million from the Pats. The organization reportedly offered less during contract negotiations in May.

For more on the New England Patriots, visit SB Nation's Patriots blog Pats Pulpit and SB Nation Boston.

Wes Welker's Chances Of Longterm Deal Pegged At 50/50

Wes Welker has signed his franchise tag with the New England Patriots and will be playing for the team this season, but his long-term future with the Pats is still up in the air. As Monday's deadline for franchised players to work out long-term deals approaches, the Patriots and Welker are still far apart on guaranteed money in their contract negotiations. The chances of a deal getting done are roughly 50/50, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

A source with knowledge of the Patriots' talks with receiver Wes Welker put it at "50/50" whether they can reach a deal. They still have a pretty significant gap in terms of guaranteed money to bridge.

The Patriots can apply the franchise tag to Welker again next season if they wish, but they would like to work out a new deal before they get to that point. Welker would like about as much guaranteed money as he would get from having the franchise tag used on him this year and next, so backing out of a deal now and tagging him again next year would be counter-productive for the Patriots.

For more on the New England Patriots, visit SB Nation's Patriots blog Pats Pulpit and SB Nation Boston.

Wes Welker Says Contract Talks With The Patriots Have 'Gotten Worse'

Add Wes Welker to the list of NFL super stars unhappy with the direction of long-term contract talks. The New England Patriots told the Boston Herald that contract talks with the Patriots have "gotten worse" recently.

In 2011, the Patriots offered Welker a two-year deal worth $16 million, all of it guaranteed. Welker says that the most recent offer from his team is worth less than the 2011 offer.

On Tuesday, Welker signed the Patriots' franchise tender worth $9.5 million for the 2012 season. He would be eligible for free agency in 2013 if the two sides cannot agree to a new contract.

Welker acknowledged that he considered a hold out this season. He decided against it, and signed the franchise tender citing a desire to get back on the field and work with his team. Welker also made it clear that his future in New England may not be up to him.

"I think the best thing you can do, as far as the Patriots, is be there and let them make the decision if they want to do something longterm or not. Obviously, I want to be there. I want to help the team win. I want a championship and all those things. I'm trying to do everything to make that happen, and I'll let everything else take care of itself."

For more on Welker and the Patriots, head over to the SB Nation blog Pats Pulpit. Check out SBN Boston for more news from around the area.

Wes Welker Signs Franchise Tag From Patriots

A day after saying there are "9.5 million reasons" he won't be missing any regular season games in pursuit of a new contract with the New England Patriots, Wes Welker has signed his franchise tender, according to a report from Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe, which Welker later confirmed via Twitter.

I signed my tender today. I love the game and I love my teammates! Hopefully doing the right thing gets the right results. #leapoffaith

Welker will be getting a hefty contract from the Patriots so it's no surprise that it's taking a while for the deal to get done. The Patriots franchise tagged Welker and have no plans of parting ways with him. Signing the tender secures him the franchise tag number, which is approximately $9.5 million.

Welker ultimately getting a longterm deal from New England seems inevitable. He went on WEEI in Boston earlier this week and said he really wanted to attend the Patriots offseason program.

"We're still kind of waiting, but I'd really like to be there. I don't know. To say I'm going one way or another right now, I'm not going to say definite or anything like that. But I would definitely like to be at those mini-camps for sure."

Check out the entire interview at Sports Radio Interviews.

Wes Welker: '9.5 Million Reasons' I Won't Miss Patriots Regular Season

Wes Welker is still stuck in a holding pattern over a possible contract extension with the New England Patriots. The veteran wide receiver is sitting out offseason workouts unless the Pats come forward to with a long-term deal to his liking. One thing Welker reportedly won't do is extend his holdout into the actual season.

Wes Welker: 'There's $9.5 million reasons why I won't miss any regular season games.' #weei #NFL #Patriots

— Christopher Price (@capeleaguer) May 14, 2012

The Patriots placed the franchise tag on Welker in March. He is expected to earn roughly $9.5 million next season. He doesn't have the security of a multi-year contract, however. Welker has expressed his desire to stay with the Patriots as long as he can.

For more on Welker and the Patriots, head over to the SB Nation blog Pats Pulpit. Check out SBN Boston for more news from around the area.

Wes Welker Unsure If He'll Attend Patriots Offseason Workouts

Last week, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reported that there's "almost zero chance" Wes Welker holds out from the New England Patriots offseason workouts. Welker was issued the franchise tag by the Patriots which had led some to wonder whether he'll skip the workouts in protest of his contract.

Welker has now talked publicly about his situation and tells NFL Network's Albert Breer that he isn't sure yet if he'll attend the Patriots offseason workouts.

"I don't know," Welker said. "I'm not quite sure yet. We'll have to wait and see how things go. But to tell you the truth, I really haven't made up my mind yet."

The Patriots can start their offseason program on April 16. The only leverage Welker has right now is to hold out in the hopes that it puts more pressure on the Patriots to do a new deal. In my opinion, holding out wouldn't be a bad move for him. There's also the risk of injury before he signs a new deal, which could cost him a lot of money down the line. He's a veteran and missing a portion of offseason workouts wouldn't be a major blow to New England's chances in 2012. The two sides have until July 15 to get a new deal done or else Welker will play the 2012 season under the franchise tag.

For more on the New England Patriots, visit SB Nation's Patriots blog Pats Pulpit and SB Nation Boston.

Wes Welker Not Expected To Hold Out From Patriots Under Franchise Tag

The New England Patriots are trying to build another strong contending team for 2012 after falling just short of another Super Bowl win in February. One of the key pieces of the puzzle that they're hoping to retain long-term is wideout Wes Welker. The Patriots applied the franchise tag to Welker in order to keep him from hitting the open market. There is still a chance that the 30-year-old Welker could hold out for the 2012 season in order to ensure he can test the open market next year, but the latest reports indicate that will probably not happen.

According to Will Brinson of CBS Sports, it is highly unlikely that Welker will hold out for the season. Very good news for Patriots fans and still a chance that the team will be able to sign the receiver to a long-term deal before the year is out.

For all news and information regarding the New England Patriots, please visit Pats Pulpit. For lots more on free agents, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NFL free agency hub.

Wes Welker 'Glad' To Be Back With Patriots After Franchise Tag

The franchise tags came down on Monday afternoon with most players expecting to be tagged getting tagged, including New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker. Most players who receive the franchise tag are not happy with the designation, because it hand-cuffs the player to their team and does not allow them to test the free agent waters. Welker, however, seems happy with the tag.

Glad that I will be a Patriot in 2012. and hopefully '13,'14,'15,'16,'17,'18..........

— Wes Welker (@WesWelker) March 6, 2012

Some players plan to stay with their team all along and just need work out a long-term deal. Some, like Welker, also seem to realize that the tag is just a path to getting to that long-term deal and know the chance of playing the season on a one year deal is minimal. By the sounds of Welker's tweet though, he's looking to sign a seven-year deal.

For more on the New England Patriots, visit SB Nation's Patriots blog Pats Pulpit and SB Nation Boston.

Wes Welker Will Get Franchise Tag Before Deadline, According To Report

The deadline to apply the franchise tag is fast approaching and to no one's surprise the New England Patriots plan to use the tag on receiver Wes Welker. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the tag will be applied sometime before the 4 p.m. (ET) deadline on Monday afternoon.

Welker is among the obvious franchise tag guys. He's an integral part of New England's highly successful offense and at 30 years old he still has several productive seasons ahead of him. This is an easy decision for New England.

The hard part comes in negotiating a long-term deal for Welker. He's Tom Brady's best receiver and has put up incredible numbers since joining the Patriots. That means he'll need to be paid like a big-time receiver. It'll be interesting to see what kind of money he gets but top receivers are getting over a $9 million per year average on new contracts.

The Patriots will have until July 15 to sign him to a long-term deal and, if they don't, Welker will have to play the season under the estimated $9.4 million franchise tag number.

For more on the New England Patriots, visit SB Nation's Patriots blog Pats Pulpit and SB Nation Boston.

Wes Welker Likely To Meet The Franchise Tag Soon

The New England Patriots are trying to come to terms with a new contract for pending free agent wide receiver Wes Welker, but if the two sides cannot come to terms on a deal, the Patriots are expected to franchise tag Welker before the 4 p.m. ET deadline, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.

The Patriots are expected to assign the franchise tag to receiver Wes Welker by Monday's deadline. I don't think it's a coincidence that the team is waiting until the last minute. In some ways, I see it as symbolic of the club not wanting to create a "hard ball" type of message with a player who has done everything it has asked of him. They just have a difference of opinion as to the right contract at this point.

It's still possible for the two sides to come to an agreement on a long term deal and remove the franchise tag prior to July 15, but it sounds like the Patriots are expected to place the tag on Welker. The wide receiver is coming off another 100-catch 1,000 yard season for the Patriots and has been a vital cog in the offense since he was acquired via a trade with the Miami Dolphins in 2007.

For more on the New England Patriots, visit SB Nation's Patriots blog Pats Pulpit and SB Nation Boston.