Wes Welker Franchise Tagged: What It Means for the New England Patriots

Barring inane overreaction moments after the Super Bowl "bad-throw-and-catch," there was almost never a doubt in anyone's mind that the New England Patriots would use the franchise tag on wide receiver Wes Welker.

Greg Bedard and Shalise Manza-Young of The Boston Globe reported on Sunday that the team would place the franchise tag on Welker by the 4:00pm ET deadline.

"

Given that the two sides aren't close on a long-term contract for Wes Welker, and barring a last-minute change of heart by the team, Welker will have the franchise tag placed on him by Monday afternoon's deadline, a league source said tonight.

"

This report was confirmed by Bedard today at around 2:45pm ET.

"

Patriots WR Wes Welker has officially had the franchise tag placed on him, according to a league source

— Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) March 5, 2012"

Now that the next step has been taken, what's next from here?

A Means To An End?

In the past two years, the Patriots have used the franchise tag to prevent the player from hitting the open market, they have bought themselves a bit more time to work out a long-term deal. The Patriots extended nose tackle Vince Wilfork within days of hitting him with the franchise tag, and did the same with Logan Mankins in 2011.

The Patriots want to get a two-year deal with Welker, and according to the Globe report, they offered him a two-year, fully-guaranteed $16 million contract during the 2011 season; a deal which he eventually turned down, according to the Globe report.

Will the Patriots be willing to do that, or will they ride out a full year with him on the franchise tag?

Only time will tell, but Bedard says in the report that the two sides are "not close" on a long-term deal, and reiterates that point on Twitter.

"

Not soon but hopefully at some point RT @mndTiiu: think this will be anything like the Wilfork tag where they come to a deal soon after?

— Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) March 5, 2012"

It will probably not be a quick turnaround as it was for Wilfork and Mankins.

Addressing Needs From Within

The Patriots would have needed a wide receiver whether they lost Welker or not. Keeping him, though, assures that they won't be looking for two.

Veteran wide receiver Deion Branch is 34 years old and won't play forever. The team needs to begin looking for younger alternatives to develop for the future. For now, though, the Patriots must keep what little talent they have at the position.

As great as Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski have been, the offense isn't nearly as threatening with just the two tight ends.

His position may seem like a plug-and-play type position, where a guy like Julian Edelman can replicate his quickness underneath. There are some concerns about that, though, such as finding someone with Welker's ability to read defenses. Can Julian Edelman see the defense through the same set of eyes as Brady?

Comfort Zone

The chief concern, though, is replicating the trust that Brady has built in Welker over the years. Brady doesn't have a long career ahead of him, and there isn't a lot of time left for him to build rapport with unfamiliar players.

Keeping familiar faces around Brady is smart, if only for a year. You just can't replicate that kind of chemistry in such a short period of time. 

Welker has accounted for 25.4 percent of Brady's targets since 2010; that's more than one in every four throws. You could probably have guessed that from watching any Patriots game, but it's worth pointing out just how important he's been to New England's success.

What's Next?

The team has several other key free agents waiting for contracts. Among them are running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis and defensive ends Andre Carter and Mark Anderson. With Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch having earned a four-year, $31-million contract from Seattle, it looks like the market could be rich for a running back like Green-Ellis. Will the Patriots be willing to make that kind of compensation now, with $9.4 million on the books for Welker's one-year deal?

Carter and Anderson combined for 20 sacks in 2011, and were the answer to New England's outside pass rush woes. Both could get a nice contract, but Carter told his agent, who told the media he'd like to stay in New England. Carter sustained a season-ending quad injury in Week 15 against the Broncos, and had surgery to repair the muscle.

Follow @ErikFrenz