The Boston Globe’s battling Ron Borges reports on Deion Branch’s recent attempts to work out a trade.
Holdout wide receiver Deion Branch has received two acceptable contract offers, from the Jets and Seahawks, and those teams are now negotiating with the Patriots on a trade.
Late last week, the Patriots gave Branch permission to negotiate a deal with another team, but have a deadline of 4 p.m. today.
Branch, unhappy with his contract, has been a holdout for all of the preseason.
One league source said it was unlikely that the Pats would make a deal within the division (although they did trade Drew Bledsoe to the Bills).
However, the word from Branch’s camp is that he could stay out as long as mid-November if the Pats don’t come up with a new deal.
Why not just say “the whole season”? Under what circumstances can you imagine Bill Belichick welcoming Branch back into the fold with the season half completed?
Dennis Erickson, currently ensconced at the University Of Idaho, describes his tenure with the 49er’s thusly (link : San Jose Mercury News) :
“The San Francisco thing was just a dumb move,” he said. “I didn’t research that well enough. Or, what I was told, it ended up being different. But you’ve got to figure that out in that league. That’s how that league is. It’s a cutthroat, backstabbing league.”