Offseason Questions for Patriots
With Super Bowl XLVI now in the rearview mirror, every NFL team will be looking to the 2012 season. For the New England Patriots, that means looking at possible returns and possible departures.
The first priority for the Patriots has to do with their pro bowl wide receiver Wes Welker. Welker became the number one receiver for the Patriots in 2011. He caught 122 passes for 1,569 yards and nine touchdowns in his fifth season with the Patriots. On March 13, Welker will become an unrestricted free agent which gives the Patriots two options. The first option is for the two sides to agree to an extension before March 13. One of the issues in agreeing to an extension is that the Patriots may be worried about giving a multi-year extension to a 30-year old player. The second option is to put the franchise tag on Welker. Assigning him the franchise tag would give Welker $9.4 million on a one-year tender. The one possible problem with giving Welker the franchise tag is that most players want multi-year extensions and become disgruntled when given the franchise tag.
Another unrestricted free agent for the Patriots is wide receiver Deion Branch. Branch left the Patriots in 2006 when he and the Patriots could not come to an agreement on an extension and was subsequently traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2007 first round pick. Except for the 2006 season, Branch never replicated his success from 2005 while in Seattle. In 2010 the Patriots re-acquired Branch from Seattle in exchange for a fourth round pick in the 2011 draft. Over the last two seasons, Branch has become an integral part of the Patriots offense. In contrast with Welker though, Branch has expressed his desire to return to New England.
A third key free agent will be running back BenJarvis Green-Ellis. Singed as an undrafted free agent by the Patriots in 2008, Green-Ellis eclipsed the 1,000 yard rushing plateau for the first time in 2010 becoming the first Patriot to do so since Corey Dillon in 2004. The fourth year running back led the Patriots for the second consecutive season and is expected to return for to 2012. However, the Patriots have 2011 draft choices Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen on the roster and have lined up both wide receiver Danny Woodhead and tight end Aaron Hernandez at running back during parts of the 2011 season.
One receiver that might not return is receiver Chad Ochocinco. Ochocinco was signed by the Patriots in 2011 to replace Randy Moss who left after the 2009 season. The six-time pro bowler only had 15 receptions for 276 yards and one touchdown in 2011. In the postseason, Ochocinco was on the field for one play against the Denver Broncos, was inactive against the Baltimore Ravens, and had one reception for 21 yards in the Super Bowl against the New York Giants. If Ochocinco were to return, he would be due a $3 million base salary which would be the fourth highest on the team behind Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork, and Matt Light.
The Patriots are already pretty well set for the 2012 season. Most of the key players on the team are still under contract and though offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is leaving to take over the head coaching position at Penn State, former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is returning to take the same position. Most likely the Patriots will re-sign Welker, Branch, and Green-Ellis and will let Ochocinco go. However, that does mean that the Patriots will probably be looking for another receiver with good size either in the draft or through free agency. Either way, the Patriots look poised to make another Super Bowl run next year.
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