A reality check is needed for Deion Branch amid a holdout that got uglier when the New England Patriots gave him one week to find a deal with another team, and the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks supposedly came with six-year deals in the $36-9 million range. A lot of football fans and quite a few writers are acting as if the Patriots have morphed into infamous Boston Bruins tightwad owner Jeremy Jacobs, best known for refusing to spend money on quality players while raking in vast profits from his ownership of Delaware North, the company that provides concessions for the Boston Garden and other sports venues - profits more than enough to have justified a fundamental shift in Bruins hockey-business philosophy.
The reality of the Deion Branch deal is quite different from the varied myths being propagated. The simple reality is that reported Jet/Seahawk deals won't pay one dime more than the nearly $31 million offer the Patriots have made to Branch, and these deals are coming from teams that are not as good as the Patriots - the Seahawks have only recently become a genuine power in the NFL while the Jets remain one of the AFC's perennial loser franchises.
There is also the reality that Branch has no leverage. I've regularly heard it mentioned that teams don't have to honor contracts when it is pointed out that Branch is still under contract for one more season, which misses the point that the Patriots have to honor the contract and to sign Branch to a good deal. Branch's agent Jason Chayut filed a grievence with the NFL Players Association, but there is virtually no prospect of Branch getting a decision in his favor, which has led to speculation that he will hold out until mid-November, by which time he will have incurred some $1.5 million in fines from the team - meaning he'll owe the Patriots some $500,000 by the tenth week of the 2006 season.
Branch cannot shoot his way out of New England because New England will not let him or anyone else do so. Branch has one year left on his rookie contract, and he wants the Patriots to abrogate that contract, start from scratch, and give him a huge deal as though he were a free agent. The Patriots, however, do not negotiate that way, and Branch's demand amounts to refusal on his part to live up to a contract that he willingly signed with his agent present. Chayut's repeated demand that the Patriots not put the franchise tag on Branch when his contract does expire displays the selfishness involved in the Branch side of this issue, because the franchise tag means he will be paid as one of the top five receivers in the NFL - why his side is so adamant about not being franchised escapes me.
People want to mention Adam Vinitiari. When Vinitiari played hardball, he got released by the Pats, went to the Colts, and conveniently suffered a broken bone in his foot - and has been grossly overpaid for his position.
The reality is that Deion Branch's market value is not higher with other teams than it is with New England - the claim made by some that the Patriots misread the market is untrue, as the Seahawk/Jet proposals do not pay more than what the Patriots have offered Branch. So Branch's best bet is to shut up, sign the deal the Patriots have offered, return to the team in time for the season opener against the Buffalo Bills, and fire Jason Chayet.
FOLLOW-UP - The Patriots signed WR Doug Gabriel from the Oakland Raiders following a trade for a draft pick. Gabriel had 71 catches for 1,122 yards and five touchdowns in three seasons with the Raiders and is entering his fourth NFL season in 2006. No doubt some are speculating about the relationship with the Branch brouhaha, but a more likely analogy is the Pats are shoring up their receiver corps after subpar performances in the preseason by Reche Caldwell and aslo uncertainty about rookie WR Chad Jackson.
UPDATE: Deion Branch lost Round One, but had the last laugh anyway as he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a first-round draft pick.
No comments:
Post a Comment