"New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, whose contract expires shortly after Super Bowl XLVI, said Sunday he can't see himself in another uniform next season.

"I plan on being back," Welker said Sunday after the Patriots arrived for the Super Bowl. "I am not really too worried about that right now. I am fully concentrated on this game and what we have to do, but I plan on being back."

Welker, who leads the NFL in receptions over the last five years (554), might not have much of a say in that decision. If the sides can't hammer out an extension by the start of the 2012 league year in March, the Patriots would likely put the franchise tag on the 30-year-old. The tag would restrict his ability to test the open market and essentially ensure his return for at least one more season.

At a time when he's preparing for the Super Bowl, Welker stiff-armed any more talk about his future."