UPDATE, 2:53 P.M. --Tom E. Curran reports that sources confirm the Patriots, as expected, have placed the franchise tag on Wes Welker.It's not yet known if the franchise tag is exclusive or non-exclusive.More to come . . .EARLIER STORY -- When the Patriots put the franchise tag on Vince Wilfork two years ago, it was a bit of a procedure.The defensive lineman's desire for a new contract was well-documented. In advance of being tagged, he said receiving it would be a "slap in the face" and, as the tag date drew near, Asante Samuel chimed in with advice to Vince that the Patriots "don't care about you."New England put the exclusive tag on Vince and - in a release - stated, "A long-term agreement with Vince Wilfork has been the team's top contractual priority for some time. Unfortunately, despite numerous conversations and proposals, the goal has not yet been realized. Vince is a tremendous player for our team and remains a significant part of our future plans. It is because of Vince's importance to this organization that we have assigned the franchise designation as we continue to work toward a long-term agreement. We are hopeful that Vince will remain a Patriot for many years to come."The Patriots put the tag on Wilfork a few days before the deadline to use it arrived. Wes Welker's in a situation similar to Wilfork, but there are differences to the tenor of the process. The wide receiver, who has well exceeded his pay scale with his performance, has made no pre-tag proclamations. And with the deadline to apply the tag coming Monday at 4 p.m., the fact that the Patriots have not yet exercised this restrictive move may be an indication that progress is being made on a long-term deal. If the Patriots don't tag Welker, he will become a free agent on March 13. If they do tag him, the team has until July to continue working out a long-term deal with Welker that would remove the tag (and the 9.4 million salary, not to mention the cap hit, that comes with it). If and when the Patriots tag Welker, it will be interesting to see if they give him the exclusive franchise tag -- which means other teams cannot contact him -- or the non-exclusive tag, which means other teams can talk to him when free agency begins but that the Patriots would be compensated with two first-round picks if he's signed away. So far, 10 tags have been handed out but only one to a wide receiver (DeSean Jackson).