Here is some commentary by Christopher Price from about two months ago in regards to the re re-signing of Wes Welker that may be of interest to folks here.
It Is What It Is » Santonio Holmes deal could provide framework for new Wes Welker contract
If Welker does reach the open market, Brandt believes the five-year, $45.25 million deal (with $24 million guaranteed) Santonio Holmes signed with the Jets in July is a good model.
On the surface, it might not make sense. But while Welker has had better production and doesn’t have the same sort of character issues swirling around him that Holmes has, he’s also 30 years old and is two years removed from a devastating knee injury.
“Welker has had vastly more production than Holmes and has none of the off field issues that Holmes did,” Brandt said. “However, Holmes was an unrestricted free agent, which creates enormous value.”
I think it is also worth noting that television contracts have been extended with huge increases. This means salary caps will be increasing, but more importantly there will be that much more money also be going to owners in a few years. If other expenses remain relatively stable, then teams should in theory be much more able to afford players within their budgets. Bottom line is that the Pats should be able to re-sign Welker. At the very minimum they should be able to franchise him; the franchise tag for a WR is anticipated to be about $9.4 million, which is something that the Pats would not be adverse to applying if a long-term deal cannot be reached.
