Wes Welker: New England Patriots WR Signs Franchise Tender

The New England Patriots and Wes Welker have not seen eye to eye on the star receiver's future with the ballclub, but Tom Brady's top target is not going to let that stop him from working with his quarterback.

Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe tweets:

"

Patriots WR Wes Welker has signed his franchise tender, according to a league source.

— Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) May 15, 2012"

The Patriots begin OTAs next week, and they have a number of new pieces in place to work with—most importantly, new receiver Brandon Lloyd.

Welker and the Pats now have until July 16 to work out a long-term deal, or he will play the season under the tag, which guarantees him about $9.5 million for 2012.

He confirmed the news, tweeting:

"

I signed my tender today. I love the game and I love my teammates! Hopefully doing the right thing gets the right results. #leapoffaith

— Wes Welker (@WesWelker) May 15, 2012"

The receiver is a vital part of the Patriots offense, but it isn't hard to see why they're hesitating on offering a long-term deal. The 31-year-old receiver has a tendency to get banged up, and his longevity is certainly a question mark.