DT Alan Branch Re-Signed to 2-Year Contract

[jefmblrd]

Love that Branch is back. Stout presence in the middle of the D line.

 

[AtomicDawg]

Yep, have to be incentives based on snap counts. Still a great deal.

 

[BobDigital]

6M a year seems a bit rich but maybe he won't hit every incentive. I am surprised he plans to play 2 more years.

This could be more of a 1 year 5M deal.

 

[bbobbo]

branch is going to stick around
.

 

[manxman2601]

 

[BobDigital]

I hope he has 2 years left. At least 1. He does well stopping those runs up the middle. I think Brown/Valentine will improve and make us very hard to run on up the middle. I am curious what the incentives are. He is not making the probowl and he is unlikely to play more than 60% of the snaps you would think.

He played exactly 60.02% last year. Hard to think he plays more than that going forward.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Free agency hasn't even started yet, still 2 hours and 25 minutes away.

Not an issue if you're re-signing your own player.

 

[luuked]

At 6 million per they must have really valued the fact that Branch mastered their 2 gap system, something Terrance Knighton couldn't do.

Up to 12m doesn't mean 6m APY.

 

[Marqui]

Up to 12m doesn't mean 6m APY.

I hope not because that would be too much for a NT in this day and age.

 

[Kontradiction]

They haven't even adress the pass rush. A little surprise that branch got that much. I am not feeling good about hightower. Don't know why it's taking this long to sign him.

LOLLLL Jesus...

 

[PatriotsPimp136]

The money's drying up and yet one of our most important players on defense hasn't been signed. Nobody's keeping tab of our cap space.

 

[Marqui]

The money's drying up and yet one of our most important players on defense hasn't been signed. Nobody's keeping tab of our cap space.

I think they have like 30 mil still without releasing Amendola.

 

[Deus Irae]

This makes me happy

 

[RobertWeathers]

Boy are they stepping up.

That seems reasonable to me.

He was a monster last year

Different player but still not sure why they didn't think Hicks was not worth $5m/aav

 

[PatriotsPimp136]

Boy are they stepping up.

That seems reasonable to me.

He was a monster last year

Different player but still not sure why they didn't think Hicks was not worth $5m/aav

Good point. I dont understand it as well.

 

[PatriotsPimp136]

I haven't heard much on odrick. I thought he would fit nicely here.

 

[Kontradiction]

Boy are they stepping up.

That seems reasonable to me.

He was a monster last year

Different player but still not sure why they didn't think Hicks was not worth $5m/aav

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Hicks is one decision that Belichick would like to have back. Oh well. The team won the Super Bowl so it's hard to fault the decision too much.

 

[manxman2601]

So with Branch, Harmon and maybe Blount coming back, the only question marks are what's going to happen with Butler and Hightower and a pass rusher. Does that sound about right?

 

[BobDigital]

The money's drying up and yet one of our most important players on defense hasn't been signed. Nobody's keeping tab of our cap space.

We were 50M after signing Allen.

Assuming 14M per year for Gilmore it is 36M. Assuming Branch gets 5M this year (he either hits only some and not all incentives or it is a bit back loaded) that is 31M.

Harmon is going to be signed but money is unknown.

If we trade Butler for Cooks is saves about 2.5M.

No one knows the exact money yet but I would say assuming Butler happens and Harmon is 3-4M it is safe to put the Pats around 30M with Harmon, Cooks, Gilmore, Branch, Allen signed and Butler gone

 

[patfanken]

At 6 million per they must have really valued the fact that Branch mastered their 2 gap system, something Terrance Knighton couldn't do.

Good point, and even if they estimate is true I wouldn't be surprised that when the contract comes out that a lot of that deal will be funny money in the 2nd year. IIRC he just made over 2 last year. I would think this one probably guarantees him about $4mm (a good raise) with another $2mm in incentives, the 2nd year will be nothing but incentives and if he's cut there will a minimum amount of dead money. I'm betting his cap charge for the start of the season will be arround $5MM in the end.

Sounds fair for your best DL in 2016.....and he dances on the sideline for you too.