Wes Welker Still “Widely Believed” To Be Returning to New England Patriots
By Josh Hill
It’s one of the more noticeable relationship questions entering free agency, but according to Peter King of Sports Illustrated, wide receiver Wes Welker is still “widely believed” to wind up back in New England when all the free agent dust settles later this offseason. As it stands now, Welker is set to hit the open market when free agency officially opens on Tuesday, but King tells Patriots fans not to worry too much about losing Welker to another team.
What’s unsettling if you’re a Patriots fan, is the fact that there hasn’t been a deal done up to this point. Welker hasn’t severed his relationship with the Patriots and the Patriots haven’t closed off all talks with Welker despite the fact there hasn’t been any progress in terms of a deal.
The most likely reason for the contract holdup is the fact that Welker wants to just dip his toe into the market to make sure he’s not passing up a pay-day he may not have known was waiting for him. He’s not expected to draw intense interest on the open market, but there’s always a chance someone could blow him away with a deal.
Still, Welker is much better suited for the Patriots system and he might struggle if placed in a new and different system. The most likely outcome for the whole situation is a three-year deal the keeps Welker in New England and keeps Tom Brady’s best target where he is right now.