As expected, the Patriots put the franchise tag on wide receiver Wes Welker Monday afternoon."Wes Welker is a remarkable football player for our team and has been a vital component to our offense and special teams since we traded for him in 2007," the Patriots said in a release. "Utilizing the franchise designation allows both sides more time to try to reach an agreement, which is the goal. Wes remains a contractual priority and we are hopeful that he will remain a Patriot for years to come."The tag keeps Welker off the free agent market and guarantees him a salary of about 9.5 million for the 2012 season. The downside for Welker? He'd prefer a long-term deal which would give him future security and guaranteed money that would likely approach 20 million. Welker and his agent David Dunn can continue to negotiate a long-term deal for the wide receiver until July 15. It's not known yet whether the Patriots gave Welker the exclusive or non-exclusive tender. If it's the non-exclusive tag, Welker is free to sign with another team but they must pay a prohibitive ransom to the Patriots -- two first-round picks. The exclusive tag is a little pricier, the average of the five highest receiver cap numbers in 2011. Putting the non-exclusive tag on Welker might be useful for the Patriots in that it would allow Welker to find out what his value is to other teams. He's made 564 catches for the Patriots -- more than any receiver in football since 2007. He and Dunn could make the case he's in the same pay range as Larry Fitzgerald (8 years, 128.5 million with 50 million guaranteed) or Andre Johnson (7 years, 62.7 million with 48 million guaranteed). The Patriots likely see Welker (31 years old next season) coming in closer to Stevie Johnson who signed a five-year, 36.25 million contract with 19.25 million guaranteed on Monday.