Ultimately, the thing that caused Welker to leave was the marketplace and not the one that set the price. It was the need for the Pats to move on Amendola or pass on him and hope Welker would come back with a counter that was acceptable.
What most people don't get and one of my latest pet peeves is the idea that the Pats want Welker back, but only at THEIR price. Well the fact is, the price that Welker signed for in the end WAS their price. Its was just that when Welker finally realized it, the Pats had been forced by the DA marketplace to make their decision.