Seattle shopping Branch

[Patspsycho]

Tate and LeVoir start practicing this week.

So I am not buying the trade talks.

 

[MassPats38]

Branch appears to be old and broken. The "good old days" for him are just that. And at the price he is presently commanding with a return of 3 receptions per game, he had better be heavily discounted or he just isn't worth the asking price anymore.

 

[Pats726]

There are 3 reasons why I do not think it would be good...1) The team will be paying a fairly high price, for a player that is not even close to what that player was 4 years ago when he was playing here. 2) That player's salary is way out of touch with teh reality of his play. Why pay a player big bucks for so little. There is no value there. 3) Given how he left, I do not think management wants him back.

 

[DarrylS]

My best guess is that the Pats do nothing, of course now they pull a blockbuster...

 

[bostonia3333]

As a no. 3 WR, I don't think you need to possess top 10% athleticism. Is Branch severely overweight or something? I've heard injuries have been nagging him, but whatever he could bring to the table is a positive. He could be that alternate 3rd down and 4 guy. I dont see him as a deep threat with his injury history. But we need SOMETHING at this point to take a sprinkling of the burden off of Moss. Knowing the routes and out thinking defenders is something that impressed me most about Branch. I would think he'd still have these intangibles. Galloway is healthy but completely unproductive and I think a change of scenery might be a good thing for him at this point.

 

[patriotscpfc]

I'd trade Galloway for Branch straight up. Branch has to be better than Galloway (in our system anyway). Clearly, Branch has sucked in SEA, but he was a very good WR for us and Galloway has done nothing.

And i'd trade Bret Lockett for Troy Polamalu, but it's not happening

 

[pats1]

Screw Branch.. He burnt his bridges with Management. I highly doubt the Pats would consider him.

I highly doubt management - which has largely been turned over since 2006 when the Branch saga occurred - would hold a grudge if it meant bringing improving their football team.

Not for a fourth - at best it would be a sixth.

 

[FalconHeavy]

There are 3 reasons why I do not think it would be good...1) The team will be paying a fairly high price, for a player that is not even close to what that player was 4 years ago when he was playing here. 2) That player's salary is way out of touch with teh reality of his play. Why pay a player big bucks for so little. There is no value there. 3) Given how he left, I do not think management wants him back.

I think this would be biggest factor based on which the deal will NOT go through. He didn't honor his last year of contract so I would say, screw him and let see what Tate/Nunn got to show.

 

[BradyManny]

Anyone have a link on this story?

I'd love for the Pats to go after this, as I've said many, many times before - Branch is the kind of wideout that is the missing ingredient in this offense. It would make the offense tougher to defend than it ever was in 2007 - a scary thought.

 

[pats1]

I think this would be biggest factor based on which the deal will NOT go through. He didn't honor his last year of contract and probably a prime reason we lost to the dolts on the AFC championship game

Again, Belichick is too smart to let something foolish like that get in the way of making a deal that would improve his football team, if you are to believe Branch is an improvement over Galloway.

 

[pats1]

And i'd trade Bret Lockett for Troy Polamalu, but it's not happening

That's a terrible analogy; Branch has played marginally better in Seattle in three seasons than Galloway has with the Pats.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

If the Pats are gonna trade for someone I'd rather it be Roscoe Parrish so that they could have a bonafide punt returner.

 

[pats1]

There are 3 reasons why I do not think it would be good...1) The team will be paying a fairly high price, for a player that is not even close to what that player was 4 years ago when he was playing here. 2) That player's salary is way out of touch with teh reality of his play. Why pay a player big bucks for so little. There is no value there. 3) Given how he left, I do not think management wants him back.

The salary would be a stumbling block; currently his base salary (what the Pats would have to pay) for this season is almost $5M, which is around how much cap room the Pats have left. Trading Galloway in a companion deal would only clear $1.15M off the books.

EDIT: I forgot that portions of that salary have already been paid; Branch's salary the Pats would take on would be 11/17 of $5Mish, while the Galloway salary the Pats would clear would be 11/17 of $1.15M.

 

[FalconHeavy]

Again, Belichick is too smart to let something foolish like that get in the way of making a deal that would improve his football team, if you are to believe Branch is an improvement over Galloway.

You are right, I let my emotions get in the way, but it is understandable I guess

 

[pats1]

If the Pats are gonna trade for someone I'd rather it be Roscoe Parrish so that they could have a bonafide punt returner.

Edelman's had some nice returns. In fact, Parrish is only averaging 6.1 yds/ return (on 12) this season, while Edelman is averaging over 10 (on 6).

 

[BradyManny]

The salary would be a stumbling block; currently his base salary (what the Pats would have to pay) for this season is almost $5M, which is around how much cap room the Pats have left. Trading Galloway in a companion deal would only clear $1.15M off the books.

Trades & contracts confuse me, so forgive me if this is way off - but couldn't we rip up his contract upon the trade and write a new one, like we did w/ Moss? Seattle has to pay the rest of his signing bonus his contract for this year can get re-written?

 

[pats1]

Trades & contracts confuse me, so forgive me if this is way off - but couldn't we rip up his contract upon the trade and write a new one, like we did w/ Moss? Seattle has to pay the rest of his signing bonus his contract for this year can get re-written?

Yes, but you still need the cap room to initially absorb the contract before the renegotiation. Brady had to tweak his deal the night of the trade in 2007 in order to fit Moss' old contract under the cap.

It's the same situation as the Peppers deal in the offseason - the Pats would have needed to clear enough cap room to absorb Peppers' huge franchise tag hit ($15M?) before they could restructure. The only other option would have been the Panthers signing an extension first, but when they traded him the SB would have accelerated and hit them; the only way around that would have been to work a SB-less deal that wouldn't have any acceleration on the trade.

 

[FalconHeavy]

Given that Morris might be out for some time, that Steven Jackson prospects seems very inviting :verycool:

 

[RobertWeathers]

Yes, but you still need the cap room to initially absorb the contract before the renegotiation. Brady had to tweak his deal the night of the trade in 2007 in order to fit Moss' old contract under the cap.

It's the same situation as the Peppers deal in the offseason - the Pats would have needed to clear enough cap room to absorb Peppers' huge franchise tag hit ($15M?) before they could restructure. The only other option would have been the Panthers signing an extension first, but when they traded him the SB would have accelerated and hit them; the only way around that would have been to work a SB-less deal that wouldn't have any acceleration on the trade.

From rotoworld regarding Branch

9/12/2006: Signed a six-year, $39 million contract. The deal includes $13 million guaranteed. 2009: $4.94 million, 2010: $5.47 million, 2011: $5.95 million, 2012: Free Agent. Cap charge: $$7,546,240 (2009).

Not sure how the $$ id spread out but it's fair to say there is no way on god's green earth that BB is paying Branch $5.47 next year and $5.95m in 2011.. Only way he comes is to renegotiate and we all know how much Branch loves the almighty dollar...I'm sure Chayut is chomping at the bit to have Branch make the vet minimum....

 

[bostonia3333]

Before calling Branch old and decrepit(including myself), I just took a look at his profile and was shocked to see he's still only 30 years old. Galloway is 40! Looking at Branch's stats in Seattle, they haven't been horrible and to my surprise there hasn't been any dropoff in yards per catch(13.5-13.7ypc) and TD receptions. In fact his yards per catch increased in Seattle and his touchdowns were exactly 4 per year from 2006-2008. Not bad I think. These stats would dwarf anything Galloway would do for NE.