Wes Welker says he has nine and a half million reasons to play

[thenepatsrule]

Wes Welker says he has nine and a half million reasons to play | ProFootballTalk

Patriots receiver Wes Welker would love to work out an agreement on a long-term contract. But if he doesn’t, he says he’ll sign his franchise tender well before the start of the regular season.

Welker said on WEEI that there’s no way his contract negotiations will drag out so long that he sits out any games.

“No, not at all,” Welker said. “There’s nine and a half million reasons why I wouldn’t miss any regular season games, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Seems like good news to me :rocker:

 

[The Gr8est]

Make your last year as a Pat a Gr8 one Wes!

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Make your last five years as a Pat Gr8 ones Wes!

I prefer my version.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I think most of us already knew this...

Sounded to those who listened in like he might be wavering on his reluctance to sign the tag in time for the June mini camp. He's really never had any leverage. Might as well do what he loves to do and let the rest of the chips fall where they may. He also acknowledged they have a way of doing things and it's worked out for them for a long time now so trying to rattle them will never work to your advantage. Probably the only guy who could rattle them isn't inclined to, either. I really hope they can find a way to work out a reasonable deal, though. I think it would pay dividends down the road not only on the field but in the locker room. When you're drawn to high effort players who are often overachievers it's good business to fairly compensate them for their achievements.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Make your last year as a Pat a Gr8 one Wes!

You do know they have until July to reach a long term deal and then beyond that they have from the end of the 2012 regular season until the opening of the 2013 season and into FA to reach some common ground...

 

[The Gr8est]

You do know they have until July to reach a long term deal and then beyond that they have from the end of the 2012 regular season until the opening of the 2013 season and into FA to reach some common ground...

Yes, but Wes needs to lower his demands if he wants to get a longer term deal.

Wes is on the wrong side of 30, and his style of play causes his body to absorb a lot of wear and tear. While we all love him, BB isn't sentimental enough to overpay based on past performance; it will be based on what he can give the Pats going forward, and he's reaching his shelf life.

While the Pats can absorb the franchise tag for him this year, next year I don't think they will.

 

[IllegalContact]

theonly thing he said with any certainty was:
“There’s nine and a half million reasons why I wouldn’t miss any regular season games, so you don’t have to worry about that.”


sound like he selected those words carefully enough to take a good chunk of the sumer off.

as for signing the tender before minicamp....maybe he will, maybe he won't

 

[Ivan]

One of the best players the Patriots have ever had, no wonder some want to get rid of him.

 

[Keyser Söze]

One of the best players the Patriots have ever had, no wonder some want to get rid of him.

Yeah that makes sense.

 

[thenepatsrule]

One of the best players the Patriots have ever had, no wonder some want to get rid of him.

u cant call the 31 other teams in the NFL as some. collectively they are MANY

 

[Ivan]

Yeah that makes sense.

Actually it doesn't but that hasn't stopped the crazies here from calling for them to get rid of him over and over and over and over..........

 

[The Gr8est]

Actually it doesn't but that hasn't stopped the crazies here from calling for them to get rid of him over and over and over and over..........

Well I'm a recent crazy here, so it isn't over and over for me.

I love Wes, but there is only so much money available.

How much of the cap do you think the Pats should give him? Is he worth Megatron or Fitzgerald money.

Poor cap management will kill a team faster than anything.

 

[TyronePoole]

Well I'm a recent crazy here, so it isn't over and over for me.

I love Wes, but there is only so much money available.

How much of the cap do you think the Pats should give him? Is he worth Megatron or Fitzgerald money.

Poor cap management will kill a team faster than anything.

There's plenty of cap space available to sign him long term, but the team has a ton of leverage here and they're using it to the max. That doesn't mean Wes shouldn't get a bigger/longer contract or that it would hurt the team if he did. It's asinine imo to hope that this resolves itself in a way that sees Wes elsewhere, or to argue that the Pats offer is de facto correct simply because the salary cap exists.

 

[Deus Irae]

Yes, but Wes needs to lower his demands if he wants to get a longer term deal...

Really? What's he asking for?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Yes, but Wes needs to lower his demands if he wants to get a longer term deal.

Wes is on the wrong side of 30, and his style of play causes his body to absorb a lot of wear and tear. While we all love him, BB isn't sentimental enough to overpay based on past performance; it will be based on what he can give the Pats going forward, and he's reaching his shelf life.

While the Pats can absorb the franchise tag for him this year, next year I don't think they will.

Yeah, except we don't know what his demands are and the Pats lone offer has been insulting in relative terms (length and total value) to the most productive WR in the game for the last 3 seasons. If he produces near that level again in 2012 and they haven't made a conserted effort in the interim to meet him half way, it will be their loss...and ours.

They paid 31 year old Randy Moss $9M per for 3 years and that was 4 years ago and he fell off a cliff comparatively speaking thereafter. Last season they signed a 3 year $12M deal for a 33 year old veteran WR coming off a down year who had never taken a snap in this complex a system. This season they signed another 31 year old player to a three year $12M deal who has had 2 productive seasons in just two of his nine seasons and broken a thousand yards just once on FIVE different teams - albeit in a similar system with various QB's. Welker has outperformed his last deal here consistently for 5 seasons, including even one without Brady and two without Moss or much else at the receiver position prior to the young TE's emerging over the course of the last two seasons. And they offer him 2 years and $16M?

As Chad would say, child...please. Welker is the only one who has earned his straight cash, homie.

Poor cap management is paying a player to perform for the tag. Or offering him a 2 year essentially guaranteed deal. No one is expecting them to offer him 5 years at double digits. 4 years at $8M would be reasonable with $20M guaranteed. If he turned that down then he might be the problem. Call me when that happens. Most of that would be taken care of in the two years they already offered. He's been as durable as he's been productive. Anything after that would be gravey with little dead cap consequence and the ever present NFL opportunity to inform him - if he isn't maintaining his present potential HOF pace - he has to take a haircut if he wants to play out the string and simply settle for a shot at the Hall at Gilette...

 

[Snake Eyes]

Yeah, except we don't know what his demands are and the Pats lone offer has been insulting in relative terms (length and total value) to the most productive WR in the game for the last 3 seasons. If he produces near that level again in 2012 and they haven't made a conserted effort in the interim to meet him half way, it will be their loss...and ours.

They paid 31 year old Randy Moss $9M per for 3 years and that was 4 years ago and he fell off a cliff comparatively speaking thereafter. Last season they signed a 3 year $12M deal for a 33 year old veteran WR coming off a down year who had never taken a snap in this complex a system. This season they signed another 31 year old player to a three year $12M deal who has had 2 productive seasons in just two of his nine seasons and broken a thousand yards just once on FIVE different teams - albeit in a similar system with various QB's. Welker has outperformed his last deal here consistently for 5 seasons, including even one without Brady and two without Moss or much else at the receiver position prior to the young TE's emerging over the course of the last two seasons. And they offer him 2 years and $16M?

As Chad would say, child...please. Welker is the only one who has earned his straight cash, homie.

Poor cap management is paying a player to perform for the tag. Or offering him a 2 year essentially guaranteed deal. No one is expecting them to offer him 5 years at double digits. 4 years at $8M would be reasonable with $20M guaranteed. If he turned that down then he might be the problem. Call me when that happens. Most of that would be taken care of in the two years they already offered. He's been as durable as he's been productive. Anything after that would be gravey with little dead cap consequence and the ever present NFL opportunity to inform him - if he isn't maintaining his present potential HOF pace - he has to take a haircut if he wants to play out the string and simply settle for a shot at the Hall at Gilette...

It's not a matter of 'what have you done for me lately"?, it's 'what will you do for me soon'?

The team has signed a few WRs recently, and therefore have less need of WW than he has of the team.

 

[IllegalContact]

LOL......who cares when welker shows up as long as its before the season starts?

if he could come back form his injury the way he did, he will be ready to play week 1 whether he shows up June 15th or August 15th

 

[MoLewisrocks]

It's not a matter of 'what have you done for me lately"?, it's 'what will you do for me soon'?

The team has signed a few WRs recently, and therefore have less need of WW than he has of the team.

I don't think that's it. They have no real clue how the recent signings will pan out. Never do until the bell rings. They know what welker does when the bell rings. Same thing he's been doing for the last 5 seasons. This is just about leverage and the Patriots have never met any they didn't want to exercise.

Curran pretty much nails it.

In the end, it won't be the $9.5 million franchise tender that makes it impossible for Wes Welker to fold his arms and wait for a better offer.

It will be the fact that he's addicted to football, more loyal than a Labrador and in possession of enough perspective to ignore the fact the Patriots will use those two things against him.

Welker will play for the Patriots in 2012 even if they don't utter a syllable about giving him the long-term deal they promised because he's a beautiful, lovable sap that's not in it for the money (even if the money is pretty good).

Pats' leverage on Welker is his love for game

 

[IllegalContact]

LOL.........yep, that's how you treat 'em

I don't think that's it. They have no real clue how the recent signings will pan out. Never do until the bell rings. They know what welker does when the bell rings. Same thing he's been doing for the last 5 seasons. This is just about leverage and the Patriots have never met any they didn't want to exercise.

Curran pretty much nails it.





Pats' leverage on Welker is his love for game

 

[Deus Irae]

BOO YAH!!! :rocker:

Let me add this:

1 ~ Wes Welker is the best Slot End in the history of the Galaxy. Agreed?? Agreed!!

2 ~ In Pursuit of Winning Championships, Domination of the Center of the ChessBoard is most vital.

3 ~ As a Slot End ~ the very best of'm!! ~ Wes Welker has been essential to that Pursuit.

4 ~ Yet the phenomenal Ascension of G+H ~ that's "Gronkowski + Hernandez", to those scoring at home!! ~ has ~ astonishing but true ~ rendered Welker's dominance of the Center of the ChessBoard...redundant.

5 ~ This is all the more true because Brother Wes is only a Passing Threat: As he is a mediocre Run Blocker, his presence tips our hand to "Pass", giving the Defense an enormous competitive edge against us in Late Winter.

6 ~ To Get Over The Hump ~ Read: expand our Offense Horizontally, allowing us to Spread The Field against Elite D's like the 2010 Jets and 2011 Giants ~ it's not enough to dominate the Center of the ChessBoard if we completely neglect the Perimeter of the ChessBoard, as we have for 24 months...And the Salary Cap dictates that addressing the Perimeter of the ChessBoard ~ as we MUST, if we're interested in actually WINING Super Bowls ~ requires that we ease off on expenditure ELSEWHERE.

7 ~ Here's the Good News: G+H aren't due for raises until 2014.

8 ~ That means that we've got 24 months ~ 24 SWEET MONTHS ~ in which to roll with Brother Wes ~ Born Patriot and Super Warrior ~ AND G+H...AND Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, Deion Branch, and Donte StallWorth, FIELD SPREADERS...IF we so choose...I say we ROLL!!

Wes will get a multi-year deal. He'll get 3 or 4 years, and he'll make somewhere between $8 million and $10 million per season. The deal would have been easier to do if the Patriots hadn't decided to sit on their hands while several other other top receivers got big money in their contracts. Unfortunately, the Patriots tend to be penny wise and pound foolish with their top players.