Wes Welker’s agents have disputed Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s claim that the receiver turned down more money to play for the Broncos.

Welker signed a free-agent deal with the Broncos on Wednesday after playing six seasons for the Patriots.

Kraft was critical of the role Welker’s agency, Athletes First, played in negotiations on Sirius Radio Monday, saying they “played poker, [but] they overplayed their hand.” On Sunday, Welker’s agent, David Dunn, told Comcast SportsNet New England that he believes the Patriots didn’t want Welker back.

Kraft disagreed:

“Everyone in our organization wanted Wes Welker back,” Kraft said. “Anyone who doubts that, or thinks we weren’t serious, just doesn’t get it. I’ve owned the team 19 years and I’ve known in the end we have to have certain limits and restraints. Like I’ve said many times, I really wanted Wes to be with us through the rest of his career, but it takes two sides to do a deal.

“In retrospect, I wish we could have wrapped that into an arrangement where it was part of a longer-term deal. But I really believe in this case, his agents misrepresented, in their mind, what his market value was. When you come right down to the bottom line, he accepted a deal in Denver that is less money than what we offered him.”

“When we asked if there was room for structural changes, we were told no,” the Athletes First statement read. “We made a counter-offer for the same term and same maximum dollar amount and it was rejected. We inquired if any of the offer’s components were negotiable and were told no. This refusal to actually negotiate made it easy to reject the Patriots’ offer.”

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported last week that Welker’s camp had pursued an offer from the Patriots over the days and weeks leading up to free agency, but didn’t get one until hours before he hit the market last Tuesday at 4 p.m. A source with intimate knowledge of Welker’s position said Welkers’ agents sent the Patriots one proposal on March 7, five days before the start of free agency, and a second one that weekend.

SI.com’s Don Banks reported Monday the Patriots had essentially moved on from Welker to negotiating with free-agent slot receiver Danny Amendola even before Welker agreed to the Broncos’ deal. Believing Welker to be likely on his way out of town, the Patriots started negotiating with the former Ram on Tuesday, the first day of free agency and quickly agreed to terms on a five-year, $28.5 million contract. The Patriots didn’t reveal the deal with Amendola until after news of Welker’s signing in Denver had surfaced Wednesday.

The Patriots and Athletes First have since countered each other in media reports as to the actual details and scope of Welkers’ offers from the Broncos and the Patriots. NFL Network’s Albert Breer reports:

A Patriots source said that the incentives in that counterproposal were $500,000 triggers in 2014 for 70, 80 and 90 catches, and a Pro Bowl berth, and that the $14 million was to be fully guaranteed. The team source said one earlier proposal from the player’s side was for $18.5 million over two years, with a $15 million signing bonus.

The source on Welker’s side disputes that the $14 million was to be fully guaranteed and said the triggers were set higher than 70, 80 and 90 catches for 2014, while acknowledging the Pro Bowl trigger. Additionally, the source denied the existence of the two-year, $18.5 million proposal, saying those numbers were part of a longer-term concept that the sides had discussed.

That context is important, because, according to the source, Welker felt like the deal offered last summer was better than last week’s offer, which illustrates how history played into this particular situation. Welker’s own sense that he was being phased out of the offense early in the 2012 season played into his reluctance to accept an incentive-laden contract. The fact that he responded with 118 catches made it difficult to accept a lesser offer.

Statement released by #A1 to @AlbertBreer regarding client Wes Welker's contract negotiations with the Patriots: on.nfl.com/15lzP6O—
Athletes First (@athletesfirst) March 19, 2013

Patriot’s QB Tom Brady is owed $15 million each of the next two season. (Getty Images)

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft took time out to discuss him team and especially quarterback Tom Brady’s status with the team.

Brady will be 36 when the next season begins and is owed $15 million each in 2013 and 2014, with a salary cap hit of $21,800,000 each year.

“I think he had a remarkable year this year and I think we look at each year as it happens,” Kraft said to Comcast SportsNet New England. “I’d love him to be here as long as he’s productive and feels he wants to play. That’s his choice but I would surely never like to see that happen. I think what he’s done for this franchise…But once again, everything is a dual decision. But I think, somehow I feel he’ll know when it’s not right for him and I believe he loves being a Patriot and we sure love having him be part of our organization.”

Brady threw for 4,827 yards with 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft thinks Tom Brady is the best quarterback of all-time. (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft says that his quarterback Tom Brady is so special to him that he considers him to be a fifth son. He also had high praise for Brady when it comes to ranking the best quarterbacks of all-time.

“I think that Tommy, with all due respect, is better than Joe Montana,” Kraft said to NFL.com. “I know that’s a leap, but I really think he might already be the best of all time. I watch how involved he is, how driven he is. He’s like (Bill) Belichick, he’s into the details. And he’s got a skill that makes him so special, he can process all of it so quickly. … And then, he’s just got that quality. Certain people have that sincerity. He’s a very genuine guy. People can relate to him. People can trust him.”

Brady is 35 years old and has won three Super Bowls and two regular season MVP awards. According to Brady’s father, he believes the quarterback wants to play six to eight more years.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is pushing for an NFL team in London in the next decade. (Elsa/Getty Images)

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is lobbying for an NFL team in London in the next decade, according to a report from Neil Reynolds of SkySports.com:

“I personally think we should have a franchise in London and that is something I am going to push for,” Kraft said. “I think I said that the last time we were over here in 2009 and before this next decade is out, I hope we have a team here. I think that would be right for the NFL and this fan base has proven they deserve it.

Kraft said he believes the league has become as popular as it ever will be in the United States and that the next step, if the NFL wants to continue expanding its fan base, is to look overseas:

“I think we’re starting to tap out in the United States. If you look at the last Super Bowl we were in this past season, we had over 180 million people watching – that’s almost two thirds of America. So for us to grow the game, we have to expand globally. Having seen the kind of support we have received here in London, it is the intention of the NFL owners to get two games here, starting next year.

He said that while he can assure fans that his Patriots will never move to London, it’s nice to know that the team is the “number one-supported team in the UK and have been for close to a decade.” He also noted the reception the Pats received when they played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in 2009, and that it should be an indication for the kind of support a team would receive if the league does, in fact, expand to London and across the globe.