Anyone who thought that the New England Patriots and Slot Reciever Wes Welker would get a long-term deal done before Monday's 4pm deadline, please raise your hand.
Now go to the back of the class and put your nose in the corner because you are naive and need to be taught a lesson in Patriot fiscal responsibility...and if you think the Patriots are going to keep Welker and pay him the 9 Million dollar franchise tag for 2012, you may as well just head down to the principal's office for an old-school flogging...
...because if the Patriots were going to pay a reciever that much money, they would have chased the Steeler's Mike Wallace.
Welker wants Megatron money, Fitzgerald money - and it's not going to happen, at least not in New England, and now that the deadline for a deal has passed, the wheels will now begin turning as to how to unload him for draft picks - and then turn around and extend Aaron Hernandez, who at 10 years younger and 100% more athletic than Welker, can do more than fill the slot.
Hernandez can only be described as the classic "H-Back", though he is much more. He can be - and has been - split wide, used as an in-line Tight End, and take the handoff or pitch from the backfield as a running back. His battery mate, the freakish part-time nude model / Full-time unstoppable Tight End Rob Gronkowski, already has been extended into his late 20's, and Hernandez may actually be more valuable to this offense.
So with Gronkowski at Tight End, Hernandez in the slot, newcomer Brandon Lloyd and returning prodigal son Jabbar Gaffney split wide, and proven recieving threat Joseph Addai curling out of the backfield, the Patriots are incredibly loaded in the passing game, and the running game seems well taken care of as potential abounds with a pair of young runners under the tutilage of Addai...
So, why is Welker still on the roster? Some would say that the Patriots were practicing due-diligence in trying to negotiate a long-term deal with a guy that had served his team and honored his contract well since joining New England - but the deadline for that has now passed and Welker's status is now that of a lame duck...a duck that should be sent to another pond in exchange for whatever 31 year old, lame duck slot recievers are worth these days which, as we have discovered through these negotiations, isn't a hell of a lot...but anything is better than nothing.
What happens then if Welker isn't dealt? Let's say 70 - 80 catches, around a thousand yards and 6 or 7 touchdowns...either way, the Patriots win, and Welker still won't have his contract...best for all parties to cut ties now and take what they can get...
