Hernandez has 2 more years under contract. Welker is gonna be gone after this year. I bet Welker ends up in Miami for the 2013 season, and Hernandez gets tagged (as long as he is considered a TE and not a WR).
It's that slow time of year all right. The Pats must be spending sleepless nights worrying about what they're gonna do with hernandez when they lose exclusive rights to him in 2 years. As far as the welker contract "stand-off" It's not much of a stand-off since he signed his franchise tender and is working out with the team...
Well Welker playing this year is an absolute given. I think the big question is his future with the team. If he has a monster year, then adios new england. If he has a down year and or any injuries, the Pats will likely lock him up for the rest of his year witha shitty contract.
^^ I think that if the patriots cared about a long term deal with welker they would have offered him one - clearly they dont. lets face it the pats are going to do very well unless or until Brady retires, so they probably have about another 3 years of being near the top of the pile.
Pats like to get rid of their players near the end when their value is still high. I think Welker will be gone after this season and they will either pick someone up or draft someone to fill in almost as well.
CBS is reporting that the Pats and Welker are $6mil in guaranteed money apart on an extension. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/e...-6m-in-guaranteed-money-apart-on-new-contract Welker and the Pats are reportedly $6 million in guaranteed money apart. (US Presswire) The clock is ticking for the Patriots and wideout Wes Welker on his contract status: the two sides have until 4 p.m. ET on July 16 to work out a long-term extension. And it appears that, with just over a week to go, the two sides are around $6 million apart. That's according to Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe, who writes Sunday that the Pats "want Welker to take a bit of a discount" to stick around New England, while Welker wants just under the $21 million guaranteed he'd make if he was franchised in 2012 and 2013. According to Bedard, that leaves a gap "in the range of around $6 million in guaranteed money." Bedard also believes the team is currently debating what kind of season Welker will produce in 2012, since that will determine whether or not he's willing to take a "team-friendly deal." If Welker produces a season along the likes of his average year since joining the Pats -- 111 receptions, 1,221 receiving yards and six touchdowns -- don't bank on him being willing to give the Patriots any sort of discount on a deal. New England could either sign a 32-year-old Welker to a longer deal, let him walk in free agency or give him a second franchise tag, which would cost them $11.418 million. I'm guessing both sides will give a little. Maybe $3mil more guaranteed and it gets done.
The Patriots offered him $16M guaranteed last October, I seriously doubt that number has gone down. If Welker is looking for $21M that would make the difference only $5M. I think Desean Jackson's deal should serve as the template, he set the market for what a franchised WR commands. He got $14.5M guaranteed over two years and an additional $3.5M guaranteed against injury in the second year. I think with Welker the reasonable thing to do would be fully guarantee $18M over two years, but if he wants more then that I think they have to let him play out his tag.
Until Brady's inevitable decline begins, it doesn't matter. They can let any of these fucks go and plug someone else in to be nearly as effective. Easiest way to manage the cap is to have a great QB.
I was thinking to myself could this be the last year we ever have to deal with that fuck Welker. But I cant imagine any team going out and giving him legit money as a FA next year. So I expect he comes back to the Pats for shit cash
Unfortunately for Wes, there is a general feeling in NFL circles that the system and Brady are just as responsible for his success as his abilities. I don't see him getting a top 5 type contract. This year's franchise salary will most likely be his biggest single season paycheck.
True but at the same time the Pats cant really afford to tag him again. So im hoping that ANY team out there is desperate enough to just throw money at him. Maybe the Fins try to bring him in just to keep him away from Brady
Welker's situation is very unique. He's as productive as any receiver in terms of catches, but he's not one of those guys you could put on any team and see him be a star. He has a very good skill set for the Patriots' offense, and while tons of teams are spreading it out these days, I think it would be crazy to assume that he would maintain his level of production if he went anywhere else. Maybe a couple of spots where teams have elite QBs (Green Bay, New Orleans), but that's it. So bottom line, he's more valuable to the Patriots than pretty much any other team that could sign him, but staying with the Patriots is also in his best interests. It's after 4 o'clock and I haven't heard anything so I assume this didn't get done, and I can't see them bringing him in at nearly $12M next season if the cap is going to remain pretty much where it is. I think 2012 is his last year in NE, and then he's gone, probably for pretty big money for some team that will ultimately overpay for him. Between Hernandez and Edelman, plus this kid Ebert they got, I think his replacement comes from in-house.
While I agree that the Pats offense will still be almost as effective, ill also agree that our chances to beat the Pats go up significantly without him. The last regular season game we beat the Pats (2010), was when Welker got effed up by Smith and did nothing after that. In 09 Welker was out vs the Jets, we won that game as well and they didnt score a single td (we played them again that year and Welker had 192 receiving yards, this was when we were the #1 defense in the league) Yes I think the Pats offense will be fine without him, but at the same time I think our chances to win the division goes up a bit as well.
I think the Pats envision Hernandez playing alot in the slot, providing another whole set of problems for defenses...
:drunk: Now maybe it's me but... If you were a player for the N.E. Patriots, and you saw how they screwed a VERY valuable player who TRIED to do the right thing... How would you approach your contract negotiations??? Does the phrase "What goes around, comes around." ring a bell???
