NFL Rumors: Patriots Must Reward Wes Welker with Long-Term Contract

The New England Patriots must sign Wes Welker to the long-term deal he wants because the star wide receiver has been a true professional for the team and is in the prime of his career.

Thus far, Welker and the team have not reach a new contract, and the deadline to franchise tag him is March 5.

Head coach Bill Belichick has let many good players walk in free agency during his tenure with the Patriots, including Deion Branch and Adam Vinatieri. He even cut Lawyer Milloy right before Week 1 of the 2003 season.

However, the Patriots cannot afford to lose Welker, and they don't want him to come to training camp unhappy. Welker is way too important to the Patriots offense for them to part ways with, and even though young receiver Julian Edelman is the same type of player, he's nowhere near the talent that Welker is.

Welker led the NFL in receptions last season and was second in receiving yards. He's quarterback Tom Brady's security blanket and is one of the most reliable third-down players in all of football. 

The Patriots, although they're wisely not afraid to let players ago when their salary demands don't meet their production, the team has taken care of many important players over the years when their contracts were up.

Two recent occasions have happened quite recently when in 2010 the Patriots applied the franchise tag to star defensive tackle Vince Wilfork while re-signing him just a few weeks later. In 2011, the Patriots re-signed offensive lineman Logan Mankins to a long-term contract after applying the tag on him.

Welker is an elite receiver, but the Patriots will not overpay him. However, I would be surprised if the team let him go because Welker is not only a fan favorite; he's the second most important player on the team. He also seems very comfortable in New England.

The Patriots cannot afford to lose Welker because of his importance to the team and the lack of depth they have at the wide receiver position. If they cannot reach an agreement on a new contract soon, then they will franchise tag him to give both sides more time to work out a deal.

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