The Clock Ticks On Wes

Contract decisions always come down to the dollar value when it concerns the Pats. Bill Parcells once said that you grow old overnight in the NFL. That appears to be the case of Wes Welker while listening to talk radio today.

Welker, 32, will be a free agent at the end of the year. The team could give him the franchise tag which would pay him about $9 million for one season. That would solve the problem for one year, but not for the long term.

Do you give a player such as Welker a three year contract when you know he is getting older and had major knee surgery?

Listening to some of the callers, one would think that Welker was in the twi-light of his career. It seems like a potential risk to invest so many dollars in a player who gets hit a lot and will probably start to lose some of his edge.

Welker is such a huge part of the team's offense. How do you replace him? Callers have been talking about some of the receivers available in next April's draft, but this sounds like Chad Jackson all over again.

If the Pats pay Welker, they will inevitably need to ante up for Rob Gronkowski. The salary cap allows for only so many dollars to be spent. I don't think they want to go with a trio of old receivers in Welker, Deion Branch and Chad Ochocinco next season.

Many decisions will need to be made after the season ends.