Deion got a million dollar signing bonus because he was drafted in the second round AND signed a 5 year deal. He also got the same minimum salaries all the other rookies in his draft class agreed to. But to sweeten the deal his agent at the time got him $3M in incentives for his 5th year provided he met certain performance requirements in his first four years, the most basic of which was 900+ yards receiving.
As fate would have it Deion didn't make that yardage until year 4. As a result he ONLY earned a half a million extra in the 5th and final season. I guess the fact that he was injured in 2004 and still couldn't beat double teams by 2005 when his QB led the league in passing yardage playing with a badly wounded running game, just didn't cut it. So instead of making the protective $3.5M he could have earned this year as an elite WR as part of his coerced deal, he is left to choose between playing for a mere million and a shot at FA or a franchise tag (including tag and trade if he squawks for it) or $6M a year for the next 3 or 5 years (with signing bonus relative to length of contract obviously), or he can sit home at $14,000 a day a whine about how he's been coerced and screwed.
Sorry, this isn't coercion. And if he decides to roll the dice and thumb his nose at what the team is reportedly offering he loses all right to cry foul if some disaster befalls him between now and next offseason and he never gets anything close to what he is already being offered. They are clearly offering him top ten money and a million a year more than what Givens just got to be some loser teams #1 WR. The Pats are not responsible for guys like Polian or Snyder overpaying their talent, not that Dieon matches up with Wayne or even El as it is. Wayne out produces him even as a #2 and he was signed to be the replacement #1 for Harrison who is 34. El is a threat in the return game as well as WR, not to mention his stealth value as a passing threat. And his function on this team is more in line with a guy like Ward, although Deion has been considerably less productive and durable than Hines to date, who signed a 4 year $26M deal with $10M in bonus money last summer. Hines held out briefly and then came in voluntarily because the Steelers told him that was the only way they would continue to negotiate with him. He took a little less than he likely would have received as the premier FA WR on the 2006 cap flush market, and it resulted in his winning a ring.
I think the problem with several of our youngsters going forward will be their existing ring collection. And the only answer for that is more agressive turnover. BB seems to be primed for that reality, which is why Jackson was just signed for the 2006-2009 seasons. And that is what is at the crux of the problem - Branch thought he had leverage until Belichick revealed his dance with Mason last season wasn't just injury insurance - it was part of a broader plan not to allow the franchise to be coerced by any perceived unwillingness or inability to replace existing players going forward either via draft or FA. It is part of the long term business plan. By and large BB leaves the final decision to the players based on their performance on the field and also their contract demands off it. If either doesn't mesh with this system, they can and will find someone whose will.
Branch's skill set is a good one for this franchise because we run a read and react offense with a savvy QB. Wouold Deion have become a defacto #1 in another system? I'm not so sure. But if he's convinced he would have been then maybe it's better in the long run to let him go slug it out with the big boys on someone's elses nickle. Comfort level aside, I'm willing to bet that BB can find us another WR who can at least get open and Brady will find him if he does. Won't be as cerebral or pretty, but it works too.
