ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss reported late Saturday night that "the expectation is the New England Patriots and receiver Wes Welker will not reach a contract extension by Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline for franchise-tagged players".
Reiss, quoting a source close to Welker, said dialogue between the Pats and Welker's representatives "wasn't overly active" and that "it would be a surprise is an extension was reached".
If no agreement is reached, Welker will play the 2012 season under the one-year tender for franchise tagged players, which in his case is 9.5 million. He would not be eligible to sign an extension with the Patriots until after the '12 season.