The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... The Patriots are not going to put an $11.4 million franchise tag on Welker, someone with intimate knowledge of the team’s thinking said. Nor is he going to get an offer better than the one he turned down in 2011.

Diehards Line:So wrote Herald staffer Ron Borges, who added that Welker "now finds himself a soon-to-be 32-year-old slot receiver who was among the most productive players in the NFL in 2012, yet is being whispered about as someone who drops too many balls (15, same total as in 2011), doesn’t get enough yards after the catch (he only led the league with 619) and is aging even though he’s missed only three regular-season games in six seasons. ..." By comparison, his rumored replacement, Julian Edelman, has missed 10 games the past two seasons and 16 of a possible 64 in his four-year career while, according to Pro Football Focus, catching only eight passes for 69 yards out of 125 slot routes run the past three years. Welker, meanwhile, was second in the NFL in receptions (118), eighth in yards (1,354) and first in YAC in 2012. Despite the Patriots' apparent reluctance to pay the man, WEEI.com's Christopher Price has told the FootballDiehards on multiple occasions there's no way the team can let Welker get away. ... We'll see.