Brady to Patriots: Signing No. 1 wideout critical

[upstater1]

6.3 million a year? That's the Patriots offer? And Branch turned it down?

Um, how much does he want? More than $6 million a year?

That's insane.

 

[upstater1]

I happen to agree with Brady that Branch is a #1 and will prove it over the next 5 years. I do not blame Branch for holding out, and applaud Brady for sticking up for him. Maybe Brady will renegotiate to meet the difference between the two sides. That would be real leadership.

I don't understand this attitude one bit.

Brady is already severely underpaid at $10 million per. Branch, at the level he wants to get paid at ($7 million?) will be severely overpaid. If you want the best player on your team to take a $1 million pay cut to elevate another player that's not even a third as valuable as he is to within 20% of Brady's salary, you have just severely whacked your entire pay structure.

Brady already took less to win Super Bowl rings. What the heck is Branch's problem? The Patriots offered him market rate, what he's worth.

Would any of you trade Brady for two Deion Branch's? Then please tell me why Branch is worth $3 million less than Brady.

 

[kptmorgan04]

they are jumping all over this on WEEI right now

 

[Drewwho]

dhamz:
Brady was in this position himself a couple years ago, with his contract negotiations dragging out for a long time.

These two situations on not even close to being related! Negotiations in the OFF season are one thing and holding out of mini camp and training camp is another thing. He is suppose to be with his teammates as he is under contract. Branch signed and so did his agent - too F'in bad if you don't like what YOU and you AGENT agreed to! I see NO similiarities to Brady's situation...Brady has never missed a practice, a camp, a game or an off season workout. He probably sleeps by his locker during the season.

My only problem with Brady is he tends to try to be all things to all people. Life, not to mention business, does not work that way. I admire him greatly as a football player and from all accounts the human being he is, but he needs to know when to just shut up and in this case, he should. He is accomplishing nothing except the media and fans getting all over him again for speaking out of turn ('no respect' anyone!?). Tom Brady needs to realize that there is a reponsibility in being TOM BRADY - he is not a 6th round draft pick anymore. He is one of the faces of the NFL and when he talks people listen. I think he sometimes says things tongue and cheek and thinks that it will get tucked away in an article or something, but being a Superstar it gets top billing. When is Brady going to realize this!?

Of course, he should be pissed. Why not! He is the best player in the NFL throwing to rookies and 2nd rate receivers. This offense is all about the passing game. The Pats are in a rare point in their history. They have one of the best leaders, QB's in the games history and they aren't giving him the tools! He takes a lesser contract to get his guys signed and he faces this crap at camp. To boot, he is in his prime for crying out loud! Problem is he should be PO'd at Branch, not the front office.

 

[mgcolby]

I blame Branch and his agent for being unreasonable. For them to not even return a counter offer to a 6 mil a year deal is just arrogant and ass-inine. Especially if what is written in this article is true, saying that the entire contract was essentially guaranteed.

Branch is correct that he is underpaid, but he is handling this wrong and he is at fault for the current situation. Hell all the info we are getting is coming from his side (as far as I can tell) and it all makes him look bad.

He should have viewed that offer (at a minimum) as the Pats understanding that he is underpaid and that they are comitted to getting a deal done. Then from there show up to camp with an understanding that it will work itself out through give and take negotiations. Why would you just turn your nose at a sound deal and cut off communications? That makes no sense at all.

 

[patchick]

Obviously Silver got a one on one interview with Brady - likely set up by Brady specifically to talk about Branch.

I have to presume this too, but it's a little odd. The tone of the article isn't like a regular one-on-one. And why choose this guy?

 

[patsox23]

Seems to me that Brady is using his leverage in as politic a way as possible to stick up for his guys. I hope it helps get something done. I'm not sure the headline matches up with the comments, but the writer presumably talked to Brady and knows how he feels. But, by the quotes, Brady's simply not as pissed off as Silver makes it sound. My guess - Brady is a little mad, but trying to not cross the line. But "Brady is boiling?" Does anyone get that from the article?

Bottom line: hope it works and Deion gets into camp ASAP.

 

[the taildragger]

whoah!

Can someone please remind me what Ron Borges said last week about our QB not standing up for his players?

Yet another classic blunder by Borges that just blew up big time.

I'm an email buddy with Silver, he's one of the few good men in this business...fwiw, he's going to be in Foxboro at end of week to report on our TC. He's one of the few pundits out there who isn't buying into all the miami hype.

Some of us need to chill...not saying that bob or bb are excited about this (they've already deleted the postgame web audio of tom from the lawyer milloy episode).

Tom's not the Pats' CEO -- he's not concerned with PR or the fans...BB has to tow the middle a bit more, but Tom is more exclusively concerned with chemistry. Having said that, if he really felt his comments would get in the way of the negotiations (which he is clearly powerless to affect) he obviously wouldn't have said them...please don't underestimate his intelligence.

I felt BB's prepared response at the PC was perfect...it's Tom's job to be concerned with the receivers...honestly, what else would you expect?

Now as to how Silver got the details on the negotiations, all I can say is that the guy is connected...funniest thing I can share so far from our little exchanges, is that, according to one of Mike's "owner sources", Pittsburgh players feel the team "cheaped out" on their rings.

psyched for the season guys!

later....

 

[patsox23]

I don't understand this attitude one bit.

Brady is already severely underpaid at $10 million per. Branch, at the level he wants to get paid at ($7 million?) will be severely overpaid. If you want the best player on your team to take a $1 million pay cut to elevate another player that's not even a third as valuable as he is to within 20% of Brady's salary, you have just severely whacked your entire pay structure.

Brady already took less to win Super Bowl rings. What the heck is Branch's problem? The Patriots offered him market rate, what he's worth.

Would any of you trade Brady for two Deion Branch's? Then please tell me why Branch is worth $3 million less than Brady.

Read and learn: Brady did not take a hometown discount. He is NOT underpaid. This is a myth. An understandable one, but a myth. He's paid competitively for his position. It was a good deal for BOTH sides.

 

[mgcolby]

I happen to agree with Brady that Branch is a #1 and will prove it over the next 5 years. I do not blame Branch for holding out, and applaud Brady for sticking up for him. Maybe Brady will renegotiate to meet the difference between the two sides. That would be real leadership.

Well, he has had 4 years to prove it. A player only signs one contract in his career that is based on unproven potential and that is their rookie contract. After that they sign a contract valued on their proven results mixed with the idea that he will either sustain that level of production or increase it over the length of that contract.

They offered him a salary that is commensurate with what he brings to the team and he ended the negotiations. That is outright stupid!

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Patchick and Dhamz: I agreed with Dhamz at first but I disagree with this latest point. Brady did not seek out an interview, and definitely not just so he could stick his neck out for Branch. That is not Brady's style.

Drewwho: Brady was in a situation were he was underpaid for his performance and had contentious, but under the radar, negotiations with the Pats that dragged on for a long time. But, as you suggest, he didn't hold out for camp. But he knows what it is like to deal with the front office. It ain't pretty negotiating with Bioli.

As for the rest of your point, once again you are getting into Brady's personal character a little more than I would.

 

[upstater1]

Read and learn: Brady did not take a hometown discount. He is NOT underpaid. This is a myth. An understandable one, but a myth. He's paid competitively for his position. It was a good deal for BOTH sides.

At $10 million he is severely underpaid. He's worth $15 million in my book. More than Peyton, that's for sure. How can you say he's not underpaid when a guy that's not nearly as important (Branch) thinks he's worth only $3 less than Brady.

Brady is the most underpaid player in the game.

You have NBA fluff like Raef LaFrentz earning more than Brady. You really think NBA players (good ones, not LaFrentz, but say Paul Pierce) brings in more $$ than Brady does in the NFL?

 

[Drewwho]

Read and learn: Brady did not take a hometown discount. He is NOT underpaid. This is a myth. An understandable one, but a myth. He's paid competitively for his position. It was a good deal for BOTH sides.

Wrong - for a 3 time SB winner before the age of 27 (when he signed) he was underpaid. Palmer got 30 MILLION last year! Yes, the full bonus in one year and was the 5th highest paid athlete in the USA last year - yes, Carson 'I have not won a damned thing since the Heisman' Palmer!

Brady could have demanded to be the highest paid QB/player in the NFL at the time, but after his signing he fell right below Vick and Manning with the total contract number and was only 5 million more then Pennington.

So - READ AND LEARN: 10 million - Brady is a underpaid!

 

[PonyExpress]

Well, he has had 4 years to prove it. A player only signs one contract in his career that is based on unproven potential and that is their rookie contract. After that they sign a contract valued on their proven results mixed with the idea that he will either sustain that level of production or increase it over the length of that contract.

They offered him a salary that is commensurate with what he brings to the team and he ended the negotiations. That is outright stupid!

and your opinion means what to me? You must be a professor of logic, genius.

 

[flutie2phelan]

Wow, some story!

We ponder all the starters on PUP ... and had nightmares over Brady's absence for 3 sessions.
Could these gents be pulling a sick-out, a coordinated "work action"?
Seems far-fetched ... but so does the whole Branch story.

If Deion ever suits up again here, at least he'll have a far better feeling toward his quarterback
than Owens did for McNabb.

The Patriots ... also told Chayut that if Branch didn't report for the first day of camp, the offer for the extension would be off the table and no further discussions would take place.

• As of Monday afternoon, there had been no further communication between the club and Chayut.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Flutie: No. Not a chance in hell. There is no sick-out.

 

[kptmorgan04]

Wow, some story!

We ponder all the starters on PUP ... and had nightmares over Brady's absence for 3 sessions.
Could these gents be pulling a sick-out, a coordinated "work action"?
Seems far-fetched ... but so does the whole Branch story.

.[/I]

you are joking.... right???

 

[PATSNUTme]

IMO, Deion is a #1 Receiver but not in the top 15. I think that what he was offered by the Patriots, if the report is true, was fair and almost generous.

But, I also think that his agent has put the idea in Deion's head that he will be worth much more as an URFA. That is the only reason to me that they are rejecting the Patriots offer and making an issue about not being franchised. I think the agent is wrong.

Tom's comments is what I would expect from him.

 

[mgcolby]

and your opinion means what to me? You must be a professor of logic, genius.

Honestly I don't give a **** what my opinion means to you! But why post on a messageboard if you don't want to read other people's opinions? Once again simple logic just seems to be lacking.

Here let my genius help you again, when you make supporting arguments for Branch's value, such as "I happen to agree with Brady that Branch is a #1 and will prove it over the next 5 years." It makes some of us think that you don't comprehend the basic logic behind the principles of an NFL contract.

That is all. Thanks for the genius remark, it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

 

[flutie2phelan]

you are joking.... right???

About what?
About something that "seems far-fetched"?