That One Game Where The Patriots Barely Used Wes Welker Might Come Back To Bite Them

The Patriots are currently trying to work out a deal with soon-to-be free agent Wes Welker to keep him in New England long term.

But according to a report from Yahoo!'s Jason Cole, Welker is "a little paranoid" about his role in the offense, and it could affect his decision to re-sign.

It all stems from a Week One game against the Titans, when Welker only played 64% of the snaps (compared to ~89% in 2011), and was only targeted five times. Here's what Cole says:

"What's important to consider is Welker's somewhat mild disdain for the Patriots right now, according to a source close to the player. Welker apparently is a little miffed at how he was treated in last year's opener, when offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had him targeted for a season-low five pass attempts that resulted in a season-low three receptions."

"That bit of tweaking stuck in Welker's craw all season. ... In short, there's a little paranoia in the Welker camp these days about his role with the Pats."

Welker's role immediately went back to normal in Week Two, and he had 118 catches in 2012. But Cole says he might have remained a secondary part of the offensive if tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski didn't get hurt.

After Week One, we wrote a post called "The Wes Welker Era For The New England Patriots Is Over" that looks silly in retrospect.

But apparently it really did plant the seed of doubt in Welker's mind.