Super Bowl 2012: Could "The Drop" Really Be the End for Welker in New England?

First off, let me preface this by saying that I have an unabashed man crush on New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker dating back to his days in Miami, and I'm sick for him that the defining moment of his professional career to date is now "dropping" a pass that wasn't that well thrown to begin with that apparently "cost" the Patriots the game in Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants.

At least, that's the opinion of some New Englanders, who have not only decided to blame the eighth-year pro for losing the game but have also decided that the free agent to be should not be brought back by New England.

Huhwhowhat?

All Welker did this year for the Patriots was catch an NFL-leading 122 passes for 1,598 yards (second in the NFL) and nine scores, while tacking on an additional 19 receptions for 168 yards and a touchdown in the postseason.

Welker has also caught over 110 passes and topped 1,100 receiving yards in each of his five seasons with the Patriots save one, the 2010 campaign in which he was recovering from an ACL tear suffered in a meaningless Week 17 game the year before.

That production is likely going to earn the 30-year-old a fat payday, and while Welker may not see the sort of money Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald got in his megadeal, Welker is no dummy and knows that this may be his last shot at a long-term deal with a significant amount of guaranteed money.

That in and of itself could be a sticking point, as some sports pundits in Boston have wondered aloud if the notoriously frugal Patriots would be willing to make that sort of long-term commitment to Welker, and how Welker might respond if New England seems unwilling to do so.

Should that prove to be the case (and I, as they were, am speculating here), then isn't it possible that after two months of constant vitriol from loudmouth "fans," a lukewarm reception from Pats brass regarding a long term deal and a lucrative offer from another contender with a need at receiver (say, San Francisco, for the sake of argument) that Welker, who from all indications is a loyal guy that loves New England, might just say enough is enough and pack his bags?

I doubt very much that will happen, but a week ago I'd have said there was no chance in you-know-what that would happen, so a seed has been planted, and that seed may just continue to grow.

If the Patriots let Wes Welker walk it will be a personnel decision on par with drafting a kicker in the third round of your fantasy football draft (if that makes no sense my apologies, we fantasy types get twitchy when the season ends), and at that point Robert Kraft might as well name Gisele Bundchen general manager.

You know, since she knows so damn much.