Wes Welker said Monday he won't miss any regular season games in 2012 because of dissatisfaction with progress on a long-term deal with the Patriots.
Asked by WEEI's Lou Merloni whether he'd miss regular-season games, Welker cited the 9.5 million franchise tender that's on the table for him, "There's 9.5 million reasons why I won't miss any regular season games. You don't have to worry about that."
Welker, who was on WEEI's Mut and Merloni Show to highlight his upcoming football camp,
indicated last month that he may not sign the tender before the team's June minicamp, hoping instead the Patriots would make good on its promise to negotiate a longer-term deal with him.
While it's been widely presumed that Welker would eventually sign and play for the franchise tender in 2012, Monday was the first time he put the issue of him missing regular-season games to rest.