New England Patriots president Jonathan Kraft has revealed that the agent of Wes Welker was the reason why the receiver didn't re-sign with the club last season.
The 32-year-old played under the franchise tag in the 2012 campaign and the Patriots were keen to secure him to a multi-year deal before free agency began in 2013, but the demands of Welker and his agent were not met by the club.
As a result, the Patriots signed Danny Amendola and Welker penned a deal with the Denver Broncos.
"We still offered Wes before free agency started, more than he ended up getting in the open market," Kraft told the Boston Globe.
"But once free agency started, we went out and signed Danny because he fit a construct that worked within our system, and we couldn't take the risk of losing both Wes and Danny.
"So it really wasn't as much about the money, it was about trying to do a deal with Wes before free agency started. His agent had a view of the world that we didn't think was realistic."
Welker had 73 receptions for 778 yards along with 10 touchdowns in the 2013 season.
Simon Sinclair
