There has been many posts which attempt to establish Deion's value as a WR compared to other WRs (Walker, Stallworth, etc.). These are legit as far as the other team, or buyer, is concerned. The seller, in this case the Pats, places a value on the contract differently.
If they didn't have another year on the contract they would have to pay Branch as much as any other team, about $7-8 M /year based on numbers bandied about, rather than the $1 M in the contract which the Pats own. They would want $6-7M to sell the legal rights or the equivalent value in trade.
Proposals to exchange him for Bouldin or others of similar WR ability neglect the real value that the teams have when a draftee exceeds the normative worth of his rookie contract. This value isn't free... it is balanced by the risk the team takes when a player doesn't pan out, eg Hill or Bethel, both 2nd round picks.
If they didn't have another year on the contract they would have to pay Branch as much as any other team, about $7-8 M /year based on numbers bandied about, rather than the $1 M in the contract which the Pats own. They would want $6-7M to sell the legal rights or the equivalent value in trade.
Proposals to exchange him for Bouldin or others of similar WR ability neglect the real value that the teams have when a draftee exceeds the normative worth of his rookie contract. This value isn't free... it is balanced by the risk the team takes when a player doesn't pan out, eg Hill or Bethel, both 2nd round picks.