New England Patriots, Wes Welker Expected to Separate in Free Agency

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the New England Patriots and Wes Welker have called off discussions over a new contract.

Per sources: Talks between Wes Welker and #Patriots are over at this point. Welker exploring free agency #Intrigue #FreeAgency
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2013

Welker will now explore offers from other teams, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee that he won't come back to the Patriots if he doesn't receive the offer he is searching for.

Division rivals, the Miami Dolphins, already made a massive investment in former Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver Mike Wallace. Wallace has agreed to a $65 million five year deal that will pay him $13 million per season. There is no chance that Welker receives that kind of offer on the open market, but he could still see big money deals from the Minnesota Vikings or Tampa Bay Buccaneers amongst others.