As arguably one of the best wide receivers in the game today, Wes Welker of the New England Patriots has gone from being a no-name, undersized wideout to Tom Brady’s favorite target in the Patriots’ offense.

At 30-years-old, Welker is still at the top of his game and a perennial Pro Bowler with potentially three to five years left in the NFL. With that being said, the Patriots would be wise to keep him and pay him the money he has earned during his time in New England. Unfortunately, there seems to be a difference of opinion between team and player as of right now with Welker prepared to sit out mandatory workouts for the team in order to get a new deal.

Perhaps the most disappointed player in all of this is Brady. Without Welker downfield, Brady’s options in the passing offense are severely limited and nowhere near as dominant as they have been in years past.

After the devastating loss to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, the Patriots hit Welker with the dreaded franchise tag. This tag was to avoid paying Welker in terms of a long-term deal. This was the same tag that hit perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and both players have reacted in shock as they thought it was nothing more than a forgone conclusion that they would get a long-term deal to secure their futures in the league.

Apparently, that is not what the Patriots or Saints intended to do. Obviously, the numbers have been issue with these teams as they don’t want to commit at a high price for players over 30.

It remains to be seen how this will end for Welker in New England, but it could potentially get ugly if a deal isn’t done before training camp.

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