The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... Welker would love to work out an agreement on a long-term contract. But if he doesn’t, he says he’ll sign his franchise tender well before the start of the regular season. Welker said on WEEI that there’s no way his contract negotiations will drag out so long that he sits out any games. “No, not at all,” Welker said. “There’s nine and a half million reasons why I wouldn’t miss any regular season games, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Diehards Line:As PFT's Michael David Smith notes, it's not surprising that he has ruled out a lengthy holdout. Welker has previously hinted that he might sign his franchise tender during the offseason, and a one-year guarantee of $9.5 million is not a bad deal for Welker. So while it remains to be seen whether Welker and the Patriots can come to terms for a contract that goes beyond 2012, for this season it looks very much like the Patriots’ opening offer of one year at $9.5 million is good enough that Welker is willing to play for it.