APThe deal is done and Wes Welker is a Bronco, leaving only the question of what it cost to get him to trade in Tom Brady for Peyton Manning.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that it is a two-year, $12 million deal for Welker. That supports the evidence that this isn’t a great market for slot receivers and it also supports the notion that there wasn’t much reason for the Patriots to use their franchise tag on Welker this year.
It would have cost $11.4 million to keep Welker via the tag, just a bit less than what the Broncos are paying for two years of his services. It would seem that the Patriots didn’t even think he was worth that much, given reports earlier on Wednesday that their offer prompted Welker to look elsewhere for a better deal and by reports later Wednesday that the Pats passed on an opportunity to up their offer after Welker spoke to Denver.
Channel Finder
He is worth every penny of 6 million. The Pats will regret this one.
Were the Patriots offering anything more than minimum wage?
Dang… I woulda paid that!
So Welker makes the same amount of money per year as Revis does?
Hmmm…
Would that not be hilarious if Welker gets a SB ring with Peyton, something him and Tom could not do in their past two appearances?
Brian Hartline got more money than Welker…
I thought the Patriots were balking at some crazy offer, like 10-13 million a year or something
How do you let him go over SIX MILLION?!
Can’t believe the Pats didn’t go to 6 million…WOW
Welker made the right move. I wish him the best of luck. I wish the Patriots even more luck, because they will need it now more than ever.
When was the last time a team with a big offseason like the broncos won the Super Bowl? Answer never
Man, Pats are really holding that drop in the ’11 Super Bowl against him.
I have a feeling the year one money is much more than year two, some kind of way it becomes a one year deal. Don’t see why he would accept half of what Wallace got.
Never question the patriots. Better resign Edelman. The kid shows flashes of wes and he’s also younger and will be much cheaper
As long as Brady is there they’ll still score points,adding cruz or amendola would be great though
pats loss like the 1st person said. Good for welker, colorado would be fun place if you gotta start again.
Not good news for Greg Jennings.
Not sure what the Pats are thinking. They’re down to one proven wideout who didn’t even have a good year with them. $6 million seems reasonable for a guy who’s proven himself to you year after year and is a perfect fit with the club.
I guess Wes doesn’t feel that he took money over championships like Asante.
Not a Patriots fan at all, but I’m stunned they didnt at least match this modest deal. This was a STEAL.
$6 million for the best slot receiver in the game today?
This must be one of the biggest steals in FA history!
Unbelievable.
He either must hate the Pats or the Pats must’ve been offering him a combination of peanuts and Monopoly money!
way cheap. less than Hartline? Wow
I would bet you that Welker and Manning have already scheduled their first workout together – for tomorrow.
Can’t imagine the looks going around the Seahawks hq right now. “what? 6 million? really?”
After all the games Bellichick played last year, is this really a surprise?
Good for Welker and his idiot girlfriend
How much money does Denver HAVE???
I love Wes Welker, don’t get me wrong, but I think the Patriots will be fine without him. In that system, the TE’s can largely pick up the slack (if they stay healthy), not to mention a healthy Edelman and whatever they draft/pick up in FA. Welker had a LOT of catches, but he had some big drops.
As a Patriots fan, I can’t believe this. They should have paid him that.
Thanks for all the good years, Welker. Good luck
Somewhere Asante Samuel is smiling…. At the end of the day, just like Asante, Wes took the money elsewhere when the Pats didn’t offer enough…
As a die hard Pats fan…I always trust in BB. See Lawyer Milloy.
Jennings is getting cheaper by the hour, he’ll be back with the Pack soon for much less than he thought
would have loved to seen welker in seattle,but he will florish in denver with manning.They got him for a steal at 6 mil,other than those 2 TE’s brady will have no one to throw to.Wonder if they will make Jennings an offer?
i wonder why just 2 yrs though?
The Vikings could have used Welker, but I guess he didn’t want to play with Ponder.
When it first came out about welker looking for a new deal with the pats, I thought maybe he was asking for 9 to 10 million a year. To here that he was sign for 6 and the pats couldn’t do that, I don’t get it. Brady just got screwed, what did he take a pay cut for? How did you let a guy who catches 100+ balls a season get away, even after being bench at the beginning of the season he still ended up the leading receiver. We’re they still mad at the dropped pass in the SB? Try letting a guy catch a 70 yarder for a TD (Moore) that’s a stinger there. Pats will regret not retaining welker, good news for my broncos thouh
It will be difficult to envision Welker as anything but a Patriot. Then again, I felt that way when Reggie White left the Eagles and now can only picture him as a Packer. Somewhere Peyton Manning is grinning wide.
If the Pats wouldn’t match $6 mil a year then they must know something the Broncos don’t. Guy is probably damaged goods.
yanksbills says:
Mar 13, 2013 5:33 PM
How much money does Denver HAVE???
They borrowed it from Peyton manning
Look for the Patriots to use their first round pick on Victor Cruz now…………I would.
These WR contracts are insane. Haven’t these teams realized how easy it is to play WR now that DBs aren’t allowed to touch them at all or hit them hard after the catch?
With these new rules, you can get any moderately talented guy to run short routes over the middle. Case in point, Danny Amendola. Does anybody think he’s some great athlete?
This draft is deep at WR. They cold have easily got a cheap rookie to do what walker will do.
This move shows the broncos are going for it now. They might be garbage when manning retires if they keep making short sighted moves like this. That’s fine if you have a Ring to show for it, but if you don’t then it will be a rough start to the Osweiler era.
maybe Brady will become a mobile quarterback.
31 year Pats fan here. Everyone’s said it already in this thread. One thing I want to point out: Welker did NOT drop that pass in the SB. It was an awful throw by Brady.
Bill Belicheck has become an arrogant,power crazy lunatic. He has had it in for this kid for a while. They had no intention of signing Wes. Just had him running in circles.
Bob Kraft is a liar. He hoped Wes would be a Patriot for life,and they wouldn’t match 2 years @ 6 mil? Good luck Wes. Hope you get a ring.
it was catchable. He also dropped a huge third down catch in playoffs that could have helped ice the game and get them back to SB.
News that Amendelo getting 31 million over 5 is perplexing. The word was Welker money was so low because he is a slot receiver…yet Danny gets 10 million guaranteed and way more total, and he is a slot guy too. Seriously, what is going on? Who is Welker’s agent? Helen Keller?
Patriots offered Welker a 2 year 16 mill dollar contract all guaranteed before franchising him last year and he passed so honestly letting him walk was the right call . he has begun to become somewhat of a diva and those types don’t last in NE long …
I heard the interview was pretty quick. They simply asked Welker if he’d like to be thrown to by the very best…..he asked where do I sign. Great pickup Elway