Wes Welker, the trustiest target in Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady's arsenal, might be ready to move on from New England according to Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. She tweeted on Wednesday "I've heard contract talks are done between Pats and Welker for the day. Welker moves onto free agency. Pats onto Plan B?" Several sources close to the situation called the most recent offer to Welker "laughably low."
The Patriots offered Welker a contract last offseason that he deemed too low as well and eventually he was forced to settle for playing under a one-year $9.5 million franchise tag. Early in the season, Welker saw somewhat limited snaps and targets while reserve slot receiver Julian Edelman took his place. That trend dissipated, but at the time it appeared Bill Belichick was sending his disgruntled wide receiver a message.
Doug Farrar of Yahoo! Sports' Shutdown Corner said last October Welker told him "Your mindset is just to kind of dig deep, understand the situation, and just go out there and play to the best of your ability whenever you get the opportunity. Once you get the opportunity, you make the most of it. I've tried to do that, and just tried to help the team win. Whatever I need to do to do that, that's what I'm going to do."
Welker is 32 years old, but hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. He's accumulated 240 receptions, 2,923 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns. He has averaged 112 receptions a year in his six seasons as a Patriot, and Tom Brady recently accepted a deal far below market value in order to free space under the salary cap for the front office to maintain a contender around him.
Sources around the league say the Patriots are looking for a deep threat, which Welker is not, and have eyes for Cleveland Browns returner/receiver Joshua Cribbs. Cribbs' career high in receptions is 41, which he set in 2011. Last year Cribbs only started two games at wide receiver and caught a paltry seven passes.
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