Wondering Wes

Whenever an unsigned player like Wes Welker starts to talk, it can lead to a number of different things. He has not signed his $9.5 million contract tender for the 2012 season. He said that he has not heard anything further since he was offered it.

I think Wes will lose a great deal of leverage if he signs it. He will be 31 on May 1. If he sings the tender, the Pats might drag out further contract negotiations. The same scene will happen next year at this time unless he gets a long term deal.

I can see why the Pats are balking at this. For financial reasons, I don't blame them one bit. How many more years can Welker play at his level before he suffers a career ending injury? Maybe two? Who knows? Injuries are the key.

He mentioned about not reporting to the mandatory min-camp in June. He would be foolish to show up. The league rules would require him to sign an injury waiver. It wouldn't make any sense to do that.

This sounds like the Vince Wilfork negotiations all over again. The problem is that you just can't sign every player. Maybe the team will challenge Wes into sitting out games in order to force his hand.