Patriots receiver Wes Welker would love to work out an agreement on a long-term contract. But if he doesn’t, he says he’ll sign his franchise tender well before the start of the regular season.
Welker said on WEEI that there’s no way his contract negotiations will drag out so long that he sits out any games.
“No, not at all,” Welker said. “There’s nine and a half million reasons why I wouldn’t miss any regular season games, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Although it’s a little surprising to hear Welker sounding like Terrell Owens’ publicist, it’s not surprising that he has ruled out a lengthy holdout. Welker has previously hinted that he might sign his franchise tender during the offseason, and a one-year guarantee of $9.5 million is not a bad deal for Welker.
In fact, Welker even suggested that there’s a chance he’ll sign his franchise tender in time to participate in the Patriots’ June 12-14 minicamp. It remains to be seen whether Welker and the Patriots can come to terms for a contract that goes beyond 2012, but for this season the Patriots’ opening offer of one year at $9.5 million is good enough that Welker is willing to play for it.