Pats give Branch permission to seek Trade

[shmessy]

If the Patriots don't accept the trade offer, Branch gets no more money this year or even a long term deal to protect against injury - wasn't that the whole point of what Branch/Chayut were after ? Somehow or another a 'moral' victory doesn't seem like it does the first thing for Branch. And I'm pretty sure the Patriots could care less about moral ground. But maybe I just don't understand.

Exactly, Arrellbee. What Miguel and Brady2Brown fail to realize here is that UNLESS the Pats accept the other team's personnel compensation, it doesn't matter if the other team offers Branch (as another poster aptly put it) "Eight Gulgoonian Dollars".

If BB/pioli don't sign off on it, it's just funny money.

 

[arrellbee]

Excellent point, that. Except that if the player makes out AND the team makes out then it only sets a precedent that you can BUY your way off the team if you can find another team to pay your toll.

I think this precedent has already been set in spectacular fashion by other players and teams. You may have a point in that there is no precedent that I know of with respect to the Pats. But the Pats may not care. Towit:

This, to me, is a key issue. There are arguably two goals here on the Patriots' side:

- Settle the Branch mess without giving up value

- Avoid setting precedents that will encourage this tactic in the future

Branch & Chayut make holding out look good if they end up with a better deal than the Patriots were offering. Suppose the deal also happens to leave the team with Anquan Boldin and 5 draft picks. Ok, well and good for the Patriots, who cares. It's not a zero sum game. The goal isn't to hurt the other guy, it's to help yourself. If Branch comes out of this with an outsized deal that replaces his 2006 salary, holding out worked. Nasty precedent, that.

If the Pats end up with a deal they consider very lucrative and great for the team, they might like the precedent they have just set as to how much it costs for a team to get a player they have on contract ?? ??

Especially since the other side of the coin for them has been that they have been giving up players WITHOUT any compensation (other than low round compensatory draft picks of questionable value) ?? ??

Just a thought.

 

[Johnny Z]

Representing the Packers, I offer:

Robert Ferguson - horrible WR
Rod Gardner - horrible WR
Charles Woodson - Heisman Trophy winner in the last century
Ben Taylor - decent LB
4th-round draft choice

for:

Deion Branch

and:

a piece of paper that states he's 6'

 

[shakadave]

Bump!

I just wanted to help keep this thread on the front page.

 

[italian pat patriot]

i'm shocked too about what happened but i imagined that something was not going on and i have always felt that Branch was not in the position Seymour was

and now let's see what will happen

our offense will be good anyway but, today,our WR corps it is becoming a '?'

 

[smg93]

Bump!

I just wanted to help keep this thread on the front page.

LOL. I second that.

 

[Miguel]

Exactly, Arrellbee. What Miguel and Brady2Brown fail to realize here is that UNLESS the Pats accept the other team's personnel compensation, it doesn't matter if the other team offers Branch (as another poster aptly put it) "Eight Gulgoonian Dollars".

If BB/pioli don't sign off on it, it's just funny money.

FWIW - I took that into consideration.

 

[Miguel]

It is way too early to state that there will be any benefit to this. While Chayut may be giddy at the prospect, his joy could be very short lived. And his client is probably puking in the john tonight. This is not what the kid in the Burton interview had in mind when he said just a few nights ago he thought both sides would do the right thing.

The invaluable information may turn out to be very bad news.

What if he learns that there are teams willing to pay him in 2007 more than the Patriots are willing to do so?? Is that information very bad news for Chayut?? I think not.

Branch plays this season for the Pats.
Forces the Pats to place the franchise tag on him in 2007.
I have said all along that if I were Chayut I would welcome the franchise tag because it establishes a high mininum (around $7.5 million) base cash intake in 2007 for me and gives me a chance to get a double-digit signing bonus in 2008.

 

[Miguel]

Franchise tidbit - There is no deadline that a franchise player has to sign his tag by. He can wait until the day before the season and sign and not be fined a penny. The mention of a deadline was mentioned way earlier into this thread.

 

[Miguel]

I'll just go ahead and add the bricks because I've never seen a debate on this board that didn't instantly become personal. :bricks:

First and foremost, the NFL is a business.

Once I got that ingrained in my head I stopped taking debates personally.

 

[jeffro]

What if he learns that there are teams willing to pay him in 2007 more than the Patriots are willing to do so?? Is that information very bad news for Chayut?? I think not.

Don't you think he could get that information anyway? Anyway, he doesn't know what the Patriots will pay in 2007, only what they will pay in 2006.

Branch plays this season for the Pats.
Forces the Pats to place the franchise tag on him in 2007.
I have said all along that if I were Chayut I would welcome the franchise tag because it establishes a high mininum (around $7.5 million) base cash intake in 2007 for me and gives me a chance to get a double-digit signing bonus in 2008.

Not necessarily. In 2007 it is possible that the Pats will offer more and Branch will take it. Anyway, who cares if you or I would be happy with the franchise tag. Chayut doesn't like the idea with or else he would not have Branch piling up the fines to trying to get the Pats to promise not to use it.

I don't see much downside on this move by the Pats, or much upside either, really. I don't think they'll end up with Hines Ward. I think Reiss has it right that they are just trying to breathe life into negotiations by doing this.

 

[NE39]

I have said all along that if I were Chayut I would welcome the franchise tag because it establishes a high mininum (around $7.5 million) base cash intake in 2007 for me and gives me a chance to get a double-digit signing bonus in 2008.

I don't think any player wants to be franchised, expecially a player like Branch who as a 2nd rounder working off his rookie contract. He'd rather have the security of a long-term deal than a 1-year contract, especially since he stands to lose income by sitting out part of this year.

There is a huge risk Branch would assume under that scenario as well. First of all, he has to perform or any offer he receives this year would not necessarily materialize. A team may say they will offer him such-and-such for a contract, but things may happen in the interim. Are they going to wait 2 years for him? What if someone else becomes available or they hit on a WR in the draft?

That isn't even talking about the risk of injury, which is very real.

On the flip side, the Patriots haven't lost anything. Talks were stagnant before they made this move, so at least now negotiations are occurring (albeit with other teams). They haven't given up their contractual rights for 2006, and still hold the right to franchise him in 2007. They get a shot at resolution to this issue sooner rather than having it drag into the season.

 

[Miguel]

Don't you think he could get that information anyway? Anyway, he doesn't know what the Patriots will pay in 2007, only what they will pay in 2006.

He is getting that information now without the possibility of a tampering charge and without having the franchise tag being placed on him.

 

[patsfan13]

Given Branch' sinjury history the risk of injury if he comes back without a LT deal is a very real downside for Deion.

IF Deion get the megabuck deal that also sets the value for the Pats compensation.

I will speculate that if Deion can't get the megadeal, there is an agreement in place for Deion to be back on Sept 1.

The worst case scenario IMO is that Deion plays out his rookie contract and leaves without giving the Pats a chance to match cause he mad at the team.

Any of these are better than Branch sitting out until week 10.

 

[Miguel]

Anyway, who cares if you or I would be happy with the franchise tag. Chayut doesn't like the idea with or else he would not have Branch piling up the fines to trying to get the Pats to promise not to use i

I'm just pointing out that this move by the Pats could cause a change in Chayut's thinking.

IMO, the best way to counter an out-of-the box move is with another an-out of-the box move.

 

[SeanBruschi54]

I'm just pointing out that this move by the Pats could cause a change in Chayut's thinking.

IMO, the best way to counter an out-of-the box move is with another an-out of-the box move.

Like......

I get what your trying to hint at but what?

 

[Miguel]

I don't think any player wants to be franchised, expecially a player like Branch who as a 2nd rounder working off his rookie contract. He'd rather have the security of a long-term deal than a 1-year contract, especially since he stands to lose income by sitting out part of this year.

If a player is about the Benjamins, then, IMO, he should want to be franchised especially when he is not among the best 5 players at his position.
At the very least for one season he is among the highest paid players at his position and gets another chance for another bigday the next season. Walter Jones was tagged 3 straight years (2002-2004). He ended up making more money that way than if he had signed a long-term deal in 2002.

There is a huge risk Branch would assume under that scenario as well. First of all, he has to perform or any offer he receives this year would not necessarily materialize. A team may say they will offer him such-and-such for a contract, but things may happen in the interim. Are they going to wait 2 years for him? What if someone else becomes available or they hit on a WR in the draft?

That isn't even talking about the risk of injury, which is very real.
[/quote]
The player has to decide if the reward is worth the risk. In the case of a wide receiver, the risk may be acceptable as long as they can avoid Stephen Neal crashing into them

 

[Pats726]

Not wanting to speak for Miguel, but I see what he is saying.

If Chayut gets a team to agree to pay Branch 7 years, $50 mil, with $15 mil up front, Chayut looks good. If the Patriots refuse to make the trade, then THEY are the ones who are preventing the deal from going through. Branch and Chayut now have the high moral ground. All the folks who are saying that Chayut is hurting Branch's future will now point to the Patriots as the ones who are hurting Branch's future. The trade doesn't actually have to go through for Chayut to look good. He did his part.

That is NOT what the Patriot's statement said...it did not say Branch had permission to make a DEAL..they said TRADE. A big difference..Chuyut will only look good if the latter is done..NOT the former...and there is a large difference. A trade involves players, fair compensation which is what they got perission for..NOT just the deal. If a team agrees and offers a 4th rounder, that is hardly fair compensation and laughable. There is no moral high ground for Chuyut unless a TRADE has been negotiated not a deal. A DEAL is NOT a TRADE/

 

[PromisedLand]

If the Pats end up with a deal they consider very lucrative and great for the team, they might like the precedent they have just set as to how much it costs for a team to get a player they have on contract ?? ??

That is exactly the point I was trying to make. Perhaps you stated it better.

 

[Pats726]

The one good thing...there is NO down side for the Patriots...NONE!! They are forcing this saga to a conclusion and will move on past it...no matter what. THAT is what is good about it...after next weekend we will know what the Patriot's are about. Branch at WR or another...believe me..others will be brought in when it is over...