Branch will show up at camp

patsfan55 · Jul 28, 2006

so i just heard on espn that he'll show up as long as he's not franchise tagged next offseason

ive got a feeling he'll come in, play the season, and then leave for more money next offseason

patsox23 · Jul 28, 2006

Okay, I just wrote a nice post telling you not to worry about it the first time - repeating info that's common knowledge - but that hollow "compromise" offered up by Branch's agent was in the Providence Journal last night and, I believe, has been part of the discussion already.

patsfan55 · Jul 28, 2006

patsox23 said:
Okay, I just wrote a nice post telling you not to worry about it the first time - repeating info that's common knowledge - but that hollow "compromise" offered up by Branch's agent was in the Providence Journal last night and, I believe, has been part of the discussion already.

arite
i guess ive just been under a f***in rock the last few days

patsox23 · Jul 28, 2006

don't worry about it.

mcsully · Jul 28, 2006

how about posting a link to the reference you are making..
some people have places to go and woman to do

VJCPatriot · Jul 28, 2006

I don't think it has ever been reported that the Pats AGREED to promise not to franchise Branch next season. In fact it wouldn't make sense as it would take a significant motivational tool away from the Pats hands.

JoeSixPat · Jul 28, 2006

patsfan55 said:
so i just heard on espn that he'll show up as long as he's not franchise tagged next offseason

Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

...and exactly why should the Patriots front office give up all their leverage with Branch?

pats1 · Jul 28, 2006

Yes. We all know.

It won't happen.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

BRANCH WILL REPORT IF TEAM DOESN'T FRANCHISE HIM

Agent Jason Chayut says that Pats receiver Deion Branch won't make good on his threat to not report for training camp if the team promises not to slap the franchise tag on him after the 2006 season.

Says Chayut: "If [the Patriots] came to me and said, 'Jason, we won't franchise Deion,' I would talk with them every day of the season in good faith to get a long-term deal done."

Sure you would, Jason, because then you'd have some real leverage. As long as the Pats have at their disposal the ability to use the franchise tag, you don't.

So why should Branch be treated any differently than any other player? Because he signed a five-year deal and necessarily gave up his first year of free agency?

If we were the Pats, we'd make no such deal. Let Branch hold out (and incur $14,000 per day in fines) if he wants to. It's not as if the oft-brittle receiver gets a ton of reps in camp and the preseason anyway.

And as for Chayut, he'd be wise to quit talking about the situation, and start focusing on giving his client good advice in light of the system that is in place not just for Branch but for every other guy in the league.

JoeSixPat · Jul 28, 2006

patsfan55 said:
arite
i guess ive just been under a f***in rock the last few days

Alright let's give patsfan55 a break... (maybe he's been following the Browns too closely?

)

The real funny part of this is the fact that ESPN would look at this as "news" without any context.

They might as well report "Givens will end holdout if Patriots agree to pay him $20 million a season."

PATSNUTme · Jul 28, 2006

patsfan55 said:
arite
i guess ive just been under a f***in rock the last few days

Come on! We all have better things to do than to read theads about things that have already been posted.

OK, not all of us but some of us.

Ok not some of us but a few.

RayClay · Jul 28, 2006

If they franchise Branch they would be overpaying him. Where's the leverage?

spacecrime · Jul 28, 2006

RayClay said:
If they franchise Branch they would be overpaying him. Where's the leverage?

I don't undestand the problem with franchising. If he got a long term deal, he'd get about $8 mil signing bonus and his first year woukld be close to minimum.

So he gets franchised, gets $7+ mil in 2007, only a couple mil less than he would hve AND STILL CAN DO A LONG TERM DEAL IN 2008 WITH BIG SIGNING BONUS

Where's the downside?

Ican see Vinatieri's not liking it. He didn't want to be paid the averageof the top five. He wanted to be the top one, and althogh in his case franchising made him the top paid kicker (he already was so he got 20% bump), it wasn't high enough more than #2.

But Deion isn't the highest paid WR, and franchise number for him would be overpaying him, as you state.

IcyPatriot · Jul 28, 2006

patsox23 said:
Okay, I

just wrote a nice post telling you not to worry about it the first time - repeating info that's common knowledge - but that hollow "compromise" offered up by Branch's agent was in the Providence Journal last night and, I

believe, has been part of the discussion

already.

...........

arrellbee · Jul 28, 2006

spacecrime said:
I don't undestand the problem with franchising. If he got a long term deal, he'd get about $8 mil signing bonus and his first year woukld be close to minimum.

So he gets franchised, gets $7+ mil in 2007, only a couple mil less than he would hve AND STILL CAN DO A LONG TERM DEAL IN 2008 WITH BIG SIGNING BONUS

Where's the downside?

Ican see Vinatieri's not liking it. He didn't want to be paid the averageof the top five. He wanted to be the top one, and althogh in his case franchising made him the top paid kicker (he already was so he got 20% bump), it wasn't high enough more than #2.

But Deion isn't the highest paid WR, and franchise number for him would be overpaying him, as you state.

The downside is Branch may get a career ending injury and he doesn't get the front end money of a signing bonus. There is a small downside of not getting the upfront money of a signing bonus so you can invest it and start to get a return off of it.

JoeSixPat · Jul 28, 2006

RayClay said:
If they franchise Branch they would be overpaying him. Where's the leverage?

The short term risk/reward of a 1 year under the franchise (possibly even 2) is something that works in the Patriot's favor and does NOT give Branch the long term payout he wants.

Why else do you think Branch would he be demanding a no-franchise agreement?

The existing cap is set to a large degree by pre-newCBA salaries and therefore is right around the market rate for Branch right now - but again, without the long term risk on the part of the front office

ClosingTime · Jul 28, 2006

spacecrime said:
I don't undestand the problem with franchising. If he got a long term deal, he'd get about $8 mil signing bonus and his first year woukld be close to minimum.

So he gets franchised, gets $7+ mil in 2007, only a couple mil less than he would hve AND STILL CAN DO A LONG TERM DEAL IN 2008 WITH BIG SIGNING BONUS

Where's the downside?

Ican see Vinatieri's not liking it. He didn't want to be paid the averageof the top five. He wanted to be the top one, and althogh in his case franchising made him the top paid kicker (he already was so he got 20% bump), it wasn't high enough more than #2.

But Deion isn't the highest paid WR, and franchise number for him would be overpaying him, as you state.

Wow, I think we finally agree on something. Branch isn't a top 5, top ten, top 15, probably not top 20 WRs in the league. This whole thing is a posturing act by Branch and his agent for next year. The more his name is in the paper, especially if it is associated with the words "franchise tage" the better for him next year. It also puts pressure on the Pats to get a deal done this year if they want to hold on to him. I'm thinking the Pats let him test free agency next year. If he walk then he can see how good he is with Ken Dorsey at QB.
Capable WRs are easy to find through FA or draft.

spacecrime · Jul 28, 2006

ClosingTime said:
Wow, I think we finally agree on something. Branch isn't a top 5, top ten, top 15, probably not top 20 WRs in the league. This whole thing is a posturing act by Branch and his agent for next year. The more his name is in the paper, especially if it is associated with the words "franchise tage" the better for him next year. It also puts pressure on the Pats to get a deal done this year if they want to hold on to him. I'm thinking the Pats let him test free agency next year. If he walk then he can see how good he is with Ken Dorsey at QB.
Capable WRs are easy to find through FA or draft.

Make it two things. (Capable WRs are easy to find through FA or draft.) .

Over the last couple of years, the teams with the best receiving corps have been Arizona and Detroit. SBXXXVI was won with Troy Brown as #1, an Arena League guy as #2 (Patten), and an UDFA (Coleman) as #3.

The Rams WR corps was considerably better.

(I'm glad you agree with my earlier post, but I don't recall saying this was all posturing by Branch and that other junk. I assume you mean you agree that he will be better off getting franchised a couple years, then getting a long-term deal with a big signing bonus)

RayClay · Jul 28, 2006

JoeSixPat said:
The short term risk/reward of a 1 year under the franchise (possibly even 2) is something that works in the Patriot's favor and does NOT give Branch the long term payout he wants.

Why else do you think Branch would he be demanding a no-franchise agreement?

The existing cap is set to a large degree by pre-newCBA salaries and therefore is right around the market rate for Branch right now - but again, without the long term risk on the part of the front office

Of course as you and others have said, it's a risk. But Branch is the injury prone overestimating his own value one.

If he's been offered 5.5-6 mil a year with some security in the form of a bonus he should simply sign.

Receivers are absolutely the worst egomaniac drama queens. Cornerbacks are next. I hope the Pats develop a horde of mid level receivers and stash them all over NFL Europe and the practice squad.

We could have five receivers going out on any given play. What makes them think they're so special?

Our future HOF QB and DL figured their contracts out without such a ruckus.

(Sey held out but acted respectful and business like.)

MoLewisrocks · Jul 28, 2006

Deion's or his agents fear of the franchise tag is likely rooted not only in our using it to retain him for a year or two at $7-8M, but also in his agents fear that we wll tag and trade him. That means his one big FA period will not be exactly free because his market will be limited to the team or teams who will both meet our demands in a trade for him AND sign him to a huge contract. Very different scenario from being a truly FA.

But if he doesn't have a better season than he's had to date I'm not so sure anyone is going to be offering him $7M for 5-6 years anyway in 2007. If he holds out into the season he is committing FA suicide. And if any of Brady's new targets really emerge it will give other GM's pause as to just who is responsible for what in NE. Deion may have broken Jerry Rice's SB reception record, but he is no Jerry Rice.

And it was reported earlier that Deion was looking for a $12M+ signing bonus or guarantees minimum. At the time some poo poo'd such reports, but it would seem now that may well be the case. So playing for the tag would be risking his career for $5-6M or so less than he hoped to net in the first year of a long term deal.

RayClay · Jul 28, 2006

MoLewisrocks said:
Deion's or his agents fear of the franchise tag is likely rooted not only in our using it to retain him for a year or two at $7-8M, but also in his agents fear that we wll tag and trade him. That means his one big FA period will not be exactly free because his market will be limited to the team or teams who will both meet our demands in a trade for him AND sign him to a huge contract. Very different scenario from being a truly FA.

But if he doesn't have a better season than he's had to date I'm not so sure anyone is going to be offering him $7M for 5-6 years anyway in 2007. If he holds out into the season he is committing FA suicide. And if any of Brady's new targets really emerge it will give other GM's pause as to just who is responsible for what in NE. Deion may have broken Jerry Rice's SB reception record, but he is no Jerry Rice.

And it was reported earlier that Deion was looking for a $12M+ signing bonus or guarantees minimum. At the time some poo poo'd such reports, but it would seem now that may well be the case. So playing for the tag would be risking his career for $5-6M or so less than he hoped to net in the first year of a long term deal.

Excellent post. He really can't force the issue and he apparently was offered a fair contract. He's missed his fair share of games due to injury.

If he thinks he can hold a gun to the Patriot's head, he signed with the wrong organization.

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