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.
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