Wes Welker Drops The Contract Negotiations Have "Gotten Worse" Routine

The Wes Welker contract negotiation is becoming a sticky situation. Earlier in the week, Welker let off some steam when he told reporters contract negotiations had gotten worse with the Patriots. The Patriots then leaked word that they were pissed with Welker for going public. Now Welker is saying it was all just poor word choice.

"That was probably a bad choice of words saying they've gotten worse," Welker said. "They've stayed the same. I'm franchised for the year and I'm completely happy with that and completely OK with it. I look forward to contributing to the team in 2012.

I tend to believe Welker when he says the words just popped out of his mouth. The thing about being a famous athlete is that if you drop your guard for even one second, your words can be blown out of proportion. It may not be fair, but when you get all that fame and notoriety, your successes are magnified along with your slip ups. You can't get upset about it though, at a certain point you just have to wash your hands of the negativity hurled your way and live your life.

The issue for Welker and The Patriots now becomes can they get past the missed opportunity and move on and try to reconnect next year? Will the team trust Welker after this lapse? Will Welker have faith the team can deliver what Welker needs or will he take off for greener pastures in hopes that the Patriots regret letting him slip through their fingers? Hopefully, for the sake of the team, everyone can get back on the same page and avoid pointing fingers. There's nothing worse than holding on to a grudge. Just be the bigger man and let it go, Wes. Let it go and let the chips fall where they may. Welker backtracks on contract comments [Boston.com]