Slagathor

I can't see if this has been mentioned but I think the Pats are trying to put other NFL teams in a corner.....i.e. continually overpricing players in the open market.

Let's say a team like the Saints wants Branch bad and pays him the money he's looking for.

The Pats say they want a #1 pick in return because he was able to get paid as one the top 7-8 WRs in the league.

The problem isn't the compensation because the Saints may do the deal. The problem is the 13-15 recievers that had better stats than Branch are gonna start looking at their deals.

Mayhem ensues.

The chance the Pats are taking is that teams are either not in a favorable salary situation or sensible and after a week, Branch comes back empty handed.

Slagathor

Digms beat all.

ATippett56

It's not the Patriots who are putting teams in a corner but the Tennessee Titans overpaying wide receiver David Givens in the unrestricted free agent market!

Slagathor

That's actually what I think the Pats are trying to change.

A team like Tennessee who has SO MANY glaring needs, way overpays a #2 WR really screws things up.

Trust me as I think the Pats ain't doing this for "the good of the league".

They're just protecting their business model which has been very successful to date.

ATippett56

The New England Patriots are fiscally disciplined and will not overpay whatsoever in the unrestricted free agent market.

If Tom Brady wants Deion Branch so bad in New England, he can take a pay cut for the next three years.