FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker said Tuesday he has signed the $9.5 million tender offer that came along with being designated the team’s franchise player.

Welker made the announcement on Twitter. He said he loves the game and his teammates and “hopefully doing the right thing gets the right results.”

Welker caught more passes than anyone else in the NFL last season but couldn’t come down with the one that might have clinched a Super Bowl victory against the New York Giants.

A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Welker led the NFL with 122 receptions and was second in the league with 1,569 yards receiving. Welker, 30, is only the second receiver to catch at least 120 passes in two different seasons.

The team had nothing to announce.

 

RAIDERS: Oakland hired former New York Jets vice president of college scouting Joey Clinkscales as its new director of player personnel as part of a front office restructuring.

 

EAGLES: Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters re-ruptured his right Achilles that he first hurt in March.

Peters was already out indefinitely and is likely to miss the 2012 season.

 

BILLS: Buffalo’s bid to extend its series of playing regular-season games in Toronto could take a big step forward before the end of the month, barring a setback in negotiations.

League spokesman Michael Signora wrote in an email that the Toronto series will be on the NFL International Committee’s agenda for its next meeting. The meeting is scheduled to take place this month, but no date has been set.

 

JAGUARS: Running back Maurice Jones-Drew was a no-show at the team’s organized activities.

Since the workouts are voluntary and Jones-Drew has stayed away before, it’s not a huge concern. But the Jaguars would like to have their best offensive player in attendance to get acquainted with a new coaching staff and new playbook.

Jones-Drew’s absence could be related to his contract. He is scheduled to make $4.45 million this season, considerably less than other top tailbacks like Chris Johnson, Arian Foster and Marshawn Lynch.

Jones-Drew hasn’t worked out in Jacksonville the last three years. In 2010 he trained on the West Coast, and the NFL lockout canceled offseason training sessions last year.

 

JETS: Joe Namath is a Mark Sanchez fan

Namath made it clear he favors Sanchez to be the starting quarterback over Tim Tebow for Namath’s old team.

Appearing at a United Way charity function, Namath says “there’s no doubt at all” about who is the better quarterback. He adds that “Mark is going to get better.”

The Jets traded with Denver to bring in Tebow to back up – some think challenge – Sanchez for the first-string job. Namath, who led the franchise to its only NFL title in the 1969 Super Bowl, adds he is a fan of both quarterbacks and that Tebow can help the Jets.