Branch's contract

[lobster]

What seems to be lost in all this discussion is that this 1a receiver was offered over $9M to play this year by the pats and seattle. If he hadn't put up such a stink, he would have been paid $1M.

Certainly other players in the last year of their rookie contracts are going to be wondering - why shouldn't they hold out as well.

 

[Miguel]

Just to clarify, Branch's $6 million option bonus is protected. If the Seahawks don't pay it, his base salary of $3.38 million for 2007 becomes guaranteed, as does $2.62 million of his base salary in 2008.

Also, his base salary for this season is $1,976,470, since he missed Week 1.

Thanks for the info, Adam.

 

[Miguel]

Do you mean that you don't think that his #s would have to be reduced, especially in years 3 - 6? seems like alot for 70 catches a year.
about $100,000 per catch. thats alot of cash.

Yes. I think that it is very likely that Branch will see every penny of the Seahawks contract if he plays at the level that BB and Pioli thought that he would play out when they made their extension offer.

 

[hwc]

My only complaint with the whole situation is that the Seahawks can pay the player for two weeks without tying up a roster spot.

If they need the roster spot, they should tell the player to continue his holdout, without pay, until such time as they can free up a roster spot. Otherwise, why have the 53 man roster rules?

 

[Wotan_the_Wanderer]

Jettisoned means thrown overboard or discarded.

He refused to play while under contract and was traded.

Monty Beisel was jettisoned.

There's one in every crowd, I see.

 

[Miguel]

Could be. But the article you referenced specifically stated that the year 2 option bonus is NOT guaranteed.

On the other hand, published acounts of the Patriots offer to the player specifically stated that the Year 2 option bonus was guaranteed.

Like I thought, Branch's option bonus was implicitly guaranteed.

 

[JoeSixPat]

That statement was true in the past. I am not so sure that the Patriots' middle class is paid better than other team's middle-class anymore after the $17 million increase in the cap.

You're probably right - for this year anyway - given the mad rush to sign free agents following the increased cap money, nearly everyone who signed a contract saw an increase in the market rate

The Patriots were among the least active in free agency this year - so the net effect is that most players remain under their pre-new CBA contracts.

If the Pats had been more active in the FA market I expect that model would continue - and I expect it will continue in subsequent years

But for right now that might not be as true as it was in past years - not because a change in philosophy though - simply because the Pats didn't get into this year's Free Agent feeding frenzy