After a record-setting six seasons with the Patriots and Tom Brady, Wes Welker will be catching passes and bouncing off tacklers for another team and quarterback — New England nemesis Peyton Manning.
Welker on Wednesday agreed to a two-year contract worth $12 million guaranteed with the Denver Broncos, one of the Patriots’ chief rivals in the AFC.
Comments
The Patriots look awful stupid and selfish . They lost Wes for about 1 million dollars a year, which is chump change for a reciever with his credentials. The worst part of all this is that he will be catching passes for the Denver Broncos. Peyton will surely make the Pats pay. We have to look at replacing Bill Belichek now. time has caught up to him.
The best thing about Welker is he is a work horse. In this day of big baby athletes who make millions and sit out with a hangnail, Welker, as little as he is, ALWAYS PLAYS. I'm not the biggest Patriots fan (don't like Brady or Belichick) but it seems like a mistake to trade Welker for a crybaby Amendola.
Why can't we get players like that?
"Respect" in athlete's parlance = $$$.
Sorry, Greg, you've been writing for months that Welker would stay with the Patriots. Your NFL credibility has taken a serious hit, seems like Kraft and the Patriots have played you like a fiddle.
Although I think they treated a loyal, productive player like crap, which isn't the first time the Pats have done this, I would understand the move if it turns out like Greg says. That said, if they were looking to open up the middle of the field for their tight ends, couldn't they have put Welker outside the numbers, as Greg's saying they'll do with Amendola. They're both slot receivers. Welker has a repoire with Brady and has proven to be incredibly durable. You take the risk with Amendola to save $2 million of guaranteed money? Maybe, as Greg says, Amendola is younger and more athletic, but that's not useful if you can't stay on the field.
I love the Pats but I hate the way they treat players who've proven themselves as a Patriot. Bill handed Chad Jackson, who never did anything for the Pats, $6 million and got nothing in return. They can't evaluate defensive backs or receivers and have wasted a lot of money on bad signings/drafting. I can't imagine being in that locker room and being happy with how Kraft and Belichick do business.
Bendogger, if you check out all the NFL draft choices and FA signings, the failure rate is high across the board. The Patriots are no better or worse than most in this regard. It frustrates me just as much but judging NFL level talent is not a simple task.
How many super bowls did they win with Wes Welker? Thought so, NONE. Wes had become a security blanket for Tom Brady and in the regular season it was fine. The playoffs were another story and it is clear to anyone that thinks with his head and not his heart that Welker had to go and the Patriots needed to try something else.
Yeah, I'm sure that's what Tom Brady is thinking this morning, that getting rid of Welker was a good idea.
It amazes me that sportswriter wring their hands and play the respect thing like the Patriots are a bunch of meanies. Nobody mentioned respect when Welker made $9.5M last year and completed a five year $18M contract. Don't you get it, the Pats don't pay for past performance, they pay for what you contribute now. Welker was a great player, but his performance in last year's loss to the Ravens was subpar, and we all remember his drop in the last Super Bowl he played in. Thank God the standard by which the Patriots measure themselves is Super Bowl Lombardi trophies. Wes Welker should talk to Deion Branch and see how his leaving for Seattle worked out. Good luck, Wes, except when you play the Patriots.
I agree with you Jim, the Patriots don't and shouldn't pay for past performance. The Patriots, Steelers and Giants are three teams that don't and they are three of the best organizations in the NFL. The people crying about Welker leaving and Kraft as an owner and Bill as coach forget what we had before they came along. The Patriots couldn't win in the postseason with the formula they had, including Welker so it was time for a change. Grow up people because these are the same people complaining about the Red Sox paying Ortiz for two years when he was washed up.
Jim and RHS, nice rational response. Bottom line is bottom line. Wes had his number and the Pats had theirs. You can be sure both parties knew the number up front. Wes decided to move on - good luck to him, really. He did a great job for the Pats.
Time to move forward now. This is about team building and winning championships. The Pats have been in the hunt for the past 12 years in a cap restrictive world - like the Giants and Steelers ( other than last year) these teams get it and always put team first.
Wes will be just fine with Peyton and Tom will be fine with Danny and Julian.
Good move when the rest of the receivers can stay on the field. Now with WW gone name a Patriots receiver that has played a full season lately.........Two possibilities, Brady blows a gasket, or more likely Brady gets clobbered waiting for receivers to get open.
Maybe Welker wanted out. Woud Troy Brown have dropped those big passes