Being optimistic about the Wes Welker/Danny Amendola situation

Yes, it is very confusing that New England seemed so eager to let Welker go.  It's weird that they were unable to keep him given the fact that he signed with Denver for just $12 million over two years; especially when you consider the Patriots turned around and paid Amendola just as much per year, and for longer.  It reminds me a little bit of Ray Allen leaving the Celtics and taking less money from the Heat.  Maybe Wes just wanted to go.  He'll be taking a 3.5 million dollar pay cut from this year to next, so I can understand the desire for a change of scenery, even if the Patriots offered him the same deal that the Broncos did.

I think this is true of just about anyone in any work situation.  Imagine if all of sudden you were told by your employer that you could keep your job, but at a 35% lower salary.  It would be very difficult to stay.  But if you put yourself in a new environment and worked for different company, making less money wouldn't be quite so hard to swallow.

From a football perspective, maybe this isn't such a bad trade off.  What if it was Tom Brady (or the Brady/Belichick combo) that made Welker great?  Keep in mind Danny Amendola has been pretty good himself, with a below average quarterback (Sam Bradford) on a not very good Rams team.  If you compare Welker's pre-Brady stats in Miami to Amendola's last full season (which was two years ago; the injury risk is definitely greater with Amendola), they are fairly similar. It was also the second year of each player's career:

Wes Welker 2006 Dolphins - 67 catches on 99 targets, 687 yards, 1 touchdown.
Danny Amendola 2010 Rams - 85 catches on 123 targets, 689 yards, 3 touchdowns.

If Amendola stays healthy, there is a good chance we're getting a Welker 2.0 who's 4 years younger.  I'd also be shocked if Welker puts up the same kind of numbers in Denver that he has in New England.  I can't wait to see which one of them has a better 2013 season.


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