The New England Patriots' wide receiver debacle has began and ended all within a matter of hours but, the fallout from the deal has yet to be fully determined. New England quarterback Tom Brady restructured his contract late last month to apparently make salary-cap room for the Patriots to offer star wide receiver Wes Welker a solid, new contract but, that didn't happen. Welker departed from New England on Wednesday to sign with Denver for what some people believe was a complete bargain. Denver signed a two-year deal with Welker for $12 million after a source from the Broncos revealed that he declined a two-year, $10 million contract with incentives from the Patriots, reported NFL.com's Albert Breer. In an interview with the Associated Press John Elway, Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Denver Broncos said:
"Anytime you can take a player from a team you have to compete against, it helps, especially the caliber of Wes Welker," ... "New England is there year in and year out, and that's a team we have to beat to get where we want to get."
Recovering quickly from the Welker fiasco, New England went on to sign fifth year wideout Danny Amendola, formerly of the St. Louis Rams, to a five-year contract worth $31 million, $10 million of which is guaranteed, reported Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. A side by side comparison of Amendola's and Welker's contract undeniably shows that there was an ulterior motive in the Pats contract negotiations with Welker and provides us with enough evidence to say that the receiver's time in New England was just up. Amid all the uproar that these two deals have caused Amendola tweeted a simple, concise statement that could very well shield him from the barrage of questions from reporters and fury of the fans.
This will definitely not be the last we here of the chaos that these deals have brought to the sports realm. It is clear that succeeding the legacy of Welker in New England will be tough stuff for Amendola. Welker had over 1,000 yards receiving in five of the last six seasons, Amendola had only reached 689 yards receiving back in 2010, his second year in the league, and has a history of injuries. Danny Amendola has only scored seven receiving touchdowns since the start of his NFL career, Wes Welker caught six passes for touchdowns last season. The stats speak for themselves.
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"Anytime you can take a player from a team you have to compete against, it helps, especially the caliber of Wes Welker," ... "New England is there year in and year out, and that's a team we have to beat to get where we want to get."
Agreed to terms on a 2-yr deal with Wes Welker. Excited to have Wes join the Broncos. His production & toughness will be a great asset!
— John Elway (@johnelway) March 13, 2013
Recovering quickly from the Welker fiasco, New England went on to sign fifth year wideout Danny Amendola, formerly of the St. Louis Rams, to a five-year contract worth $31 million, $10 million of which is guaranteed, reported Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. A side by side comparison of Amendola's and Welker's contract undeniably shows that there was an ulterior motive in the Pats contract negotiations with Welker and provides us with enough evidence to say that the receiver's time in New England was just up. Amid all the uproar that these two deals have caused Amendola tweeted a simple, concise statement that could very well shield him from the barrage of questions from reporters and fury of the fans.
Blessed. Thankful. Excited to get to work. Go Pats.
— Danny Amendola (@DannyAmendola) March 14, 2013
This will definitely not be the last we here of the chaos that these deals have brought to the sports realm. It is clear that succeeding the legacy of Welker in New England will be tough stuff for Amendola. Welker had over 1,000 yards receiving in five of the last six seasons, Amendola had only reached 689 yards receiving back in 2010, his second year in the league, and has a history of injuries. Danny Amendola has only scored seven receiving touchdowns since the start of his NFL career, Wes Welker caught six passes for touchdowns last season. The stats speak for themselves.
Follow @TheNFLInjuryRpt
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