Free agency dominates the month of March in the NFL, and by the end of the month, if a player hasn’t signed with anyone, that’s usually a pretty good indication that the player isn’t drawing much interest.
In the case of Wes Welker, there’s been no talk at all about any team trying to sign him. A recent Denver Post report saying it would be a surprise if the Broncos brought him back is just about the only thing anyone has said about him since free agency started.
It’s not hard to see why there’s not a lot of interest in Welker: He turns 34 years old this year and his production has steadily declined, from 1,569 receiving yards in 2011 to 1,354 yards in 2012 to 778 yards in 2013 to 464 yards in 2014. Last year he averaged a career-low 9.5 yards a catch.
Welker was once among the best receivers in the NFL. He led the league in catches three times and was a first-team All-Pro twice. In his six seasons with the Patriots, he topped 110 catches in five of them, falling short only in 2010, when he was recovering from a torn ACL.
But those days are long past. Now Welker is aging, and NFL teams aren’t showing interest. Perhaps he’ll sign with some team for a low-priced deal, or perhaps he’ll decide to take the lack of interest as a hint that it’s time to retire.