Wes Welker will stay with the New England Patriots next season. The Patriots used their franchise tag on Welker before the expiration of Monday’s deadline. It comes at a cost of roughly $9.4 million for next season. Welker had said he preferred to stay in New England, and the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady preferred that as well.
Welker has been a model performer on and off the field, and even with the emergence of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, Welker still remains the go to guy for Brady in crunch time.
Welker had perhaps his best year as a pro this past season at age 30, which is saying a lot given his performance with the Patriots year in and year out. He had 122 catches for 1,569 yards and 9 touchdowns (all career bests, except the receptions which was one short of his career best from 2009). He has caught over 110 passes in four of the last five seasons, and he is the only player in NFL history to have three consecutive 110 catch seasons.
He remains one of the top receivers in the NFL, and likely to keep producing at that high level for at least another 3 to 4 years.
Only he and former NFL wide receiver Cris Carter have generated two seasons with 120 receptions or higher.
