Photo: Karen Cardoza, Flickr BY NICK ST. DENIS
The Boston Globe reported Friday morning that the Patriots haven't exactly been thrilled with receiver Wes Welker's going public with the state of his contract negotiations.
Welker, who was handed the franchise tag this offseason, appeared on a handful of ESPN programs two weeks ago, hinting at a possible holdout of the team's mandatory minicamp, as he still seeks a long-term contract with New England.
Earlier this week, Welker signed his franchise tender, tweeting that it was the "right thing to do" and hashtagging it with "#leapoffaith."
Friday afternoon, after assumedly catching wind of the report that New England wasn't happy about his, um, outgoingness(?), tweeted, "Don't believe the hype. Everyone wants to make a story. Control what u can control and move on."
As tight-lipped as the Patriots' organization has been in the Belichick era, the Globe's sources were probably right on.
Welker has been to the Pro Bowl four straight years and has caught 554 passes since joining the Patriots in 2007. That's the most of any receiver in that span.
However, he's 31 years old and has taken a pretty decent beating over the years in the slot.
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