After two-year stint with the Denver Broncos, Wes Welker is once again a free agent with much less interest surrounding him than the last time he was available on the market. His previous stint was following a very successful tenure with the New England Patriots while this time around is after a quiet two years with Denver. As the Broncos have no plans to bring Welker back into the mix, who could target the slot receiver?
According to the Denver Post's Troy Renck, it would be a real surprise to see Welker return in free agency. The Broncos signed Welker to a two-year agreement after he excelled as Tom Brady's safety blanket, but he failed to recreate that success with Peyton Manning. Instead, Welker was inconsistent while suffering a number of injuries that has labeled him as damaged goods in this year's offseason.
Right now, the Broncos are entering the season with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders as their top two receivers with Cody Latimer filling in at the No. 3 spot. They have moved past Welker despite also losing Julius Thomas in free agency. The priority for Denver is now re-signing Thomas and not targeting Welker with a new deal.
Welker is now battling on the open market alongside veterans like Greg Jennings and Reggie Wayne hoping another team gives them a shot to prove themselves. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Green Bay Packers might be interested in Welker as the team is looking another receiver that would be a cheap signing. If he can have success with Brady and some with Manning, there is no reason why Welker could not work with Aaron Rodgers.
Welker only had 464 yards and two touchdowns last year. Statistically it was his worst season since his rookie year. That has hurt his value on the open market. He is pairing that with concussion issues which has even more teams turned away. At this point, Welker is a low-impact player who will be forced to sign a cheap deal somewhere. One team unlikely to show interest is the New England Patriots. Yes, the Patriots have eyed available wide receivers this offseason, but do not expect Welker to be one of them. With Jennings, Wayne, Hakeem Nicks and Michael Crabtree still available, the chances Welker goes are slim.
