Patriots' Branch set to miss start of training camp

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Unless his emotions get the better of him, or New England Patriots management suddenly comes up with a better offer, wide receiver Deion Branch will not be on hand for the Friday opening of training camp.

Branch, who is seeking a contract extension, has deliberated the last several days over his course of action, and decided that he will not report until his deal is upgraded.

Under a new twist in the extension to the collective bargaining agreement, Branch can be fined a maximum of $14,000 per day. That is nearly triple the previous maximum daily fine of $5,000 that a team could levy against a player under contract who does not report to training camp.

The team's top wide receiver, Branch is scheduled to earn a base salary of $1.05 million in 2006, the final season of the original five-year contract he signed as a second-round choice in the 2002 draft. And the base salary is only that high because Branch performed well enough to trigger an "escalator" in the contract that raised his compensation by $500,000.

Branch, 27, has been absent from the Patriots' offseason workouts, including a mandatory minicamp, and it is believed he was fined for skipping that three-day session. The two sides have been discussing contract frameworks and numbers for nearly two months but have been unable to strike an agreement.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2530066

 

[Jesus Quintana]

More agent meddling screwing over a player.


http://www.projo.com/patriots/content/projo_20060727_27branch.33b5c61.html
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Tom E. Curran: Solely due to his agent's greed, Pats' Branch is out on a limb
01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, July 27, 2006[/b]

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be agents...
They'll slick back their hair and pretend we're all fools...
Then they'll get mad when teams play by the rules.

Does Deion Branch deserve to make more money than the $1 million or so he's on the books to make in 2006? Yup. Do his employers, the New England Patriots, know that their wide receiver needs a significant bump? Yup.

So what's the holdup and why is Branch reportedly going to hold out when training camp begins tomorrow? Because his agent, Jason Chayut, is killing him.

Earlier this week, Chayut told the Boston Globe that the Patriots are exploiting Branch.

Nice move, Jason. Make your client sound like he's an 8-year-old sweatshop employee making 44 cents a week in Thailand. That'll swing public opinion in his favor.

Yesterday, Chayut added that Branch, "won't be in camp until he feels he's being treated fairly."

That must mean he'll be in the day he cans Chayut because that's where the exploitation and unfair dealing are coming from -- the guy who stands to make the commission on the deal.

The truth is, Chayut is railing about an offer that would average close to $6 million per season. That's about the same as this year's franchise number for receivers (somebody exploit me like that).

The franchise number is equal to the salaries of the five highest-paid receivers. I hate to do this because Branch is a terrific receiver, but . . . Marvin Harrison. Chad Johnson. Randy Moss. Steve Smith. Larry Fitzgerald. Anquan Boldin. Torry Holt. There's seven guys better than Branch. There are a few more in his neighborhood.

But the bigger point isn't whether Branch is as good as, say, the Colts' Reggie Wayne, who signed a 6-year, $40-million deal with a $13.5-million signing bonus this offseason. The bigger point is that Wayne was a free agent, Branch is not and won't be until after this season.

To be paid like a free agent you kind of need to be one. If you're coming to the table a year early and asking your team to tear up your deal and give you more money, you ought to understand that you are asking for a favor. You are asking them to ignore a contract that you, the player, signed and, in this case, a contract that Chayut himself negotiated for Branch.

Hey, it's a fact that NFL teams have a ridiculous upper hand in rookie contract negotiations and that the whole draft process in every sport is pretty much unconstitutional. But it is what it is. And the offer on the table to Branch rights that particular wrong. Not that Chayut notices. He's more likely fixated on the deals given to this year's free-agent crop -- Wayne, former Patriot David Givens and former Steeler Antwaan Randle El. Again, dumb idea to bring up those names.

Wayne caught 160 passes for 2,265 yards and 17 touchdowns while playing 32 regular-season games the last two seasons. Branch caught 113 passes for 1,452 yards and 9 scores while playing 24 regular-season games. In addition, Wayne plays for a team that has no idea how to manage its pay structure.

Between Wayne, Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning, the Colts are doling out $70 million in bonuses. (This from a team that complains it's at a financial disadvantage because of its market). They're so shrewd they had to let go of Edgerrin James this offseason and two defensive starters, and only had the money to import just one free agent of note, Adam Vinatieri. Meanwhile, they haven't been to a Super Bowl since Nixon was in office. Obviously, the Pats should start doing business just like Indy.

As for Givens? Branch deserves to make more than the 5-year, $24-million deal Givens got from the Titans. And Branch stands to.

Chayut's comments this week are among the silliest since Ty Law said the Pats' 2004 contract offer was a slap in the face. That slap in the face guaranteed Law $15.6 million in 2004 and 2005. And that slap would have made Law about $2.5 million more than he made the last two seasons.

Meanwhile, Chayut hasn't returned any of the numerous calls to him in the last few months. He probably should have skipped the Globe's, too.

Either way, the good thing for Branch is that people don't blame the player for an agent's stupidity anymore. And now that Chayut's dopiness has been unveiled it's hard to blame Branch when he's getting bad advice. It's just sad to see a good guy get exploited.​

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[Joey 22]

And so? He is still holding out...Whats the point in saying he isnt "guilty"...

:confused2

 

[Dors156]

and it could be a really long holdout to.adam schefter on nflta said it could go into the regular season:eek:

 

[phinphan896]

sounds good, very good.

 

[Tailgater]

I'm shocked it's gone on this long. Branch is being poorly served by his agent.

Word from one of the local media guys is he is ready and willing hold out till week 10 if he has to. If so, he's kissing millions of dollars goodbye that he'll never make up in a new contract.

Sucks for both parties, but is good for the AFC East! :D

 

[Disnardo]

I'm shocked it's gone on this long. Branch is being poorly served by his agent.

Word from one of the local media guys is he is ready and willing hold out till week 10 if he has to. If so, he's kissing millions of dollars goodbye that he'll never make up in a new contract.

Sucks for both parties, but is good for the AFC East! :D

I saw an article, can't remember which one, that stated that what ever moral loyalty, "take one for the team element," the Pats have had for the last few years, is no longer seen as such. The BB affair with a married woman has thrown that out the window and is giving leverage to Branch. He can go to BB and say, where was your moral loyatly to the team for the last few years? :wink:

Anyways, the longer DB is out, the more TE formations the Pats will employ...

 

[MR NFLFAN]

The BB affair with a married woman has thrown that out the window and is giving leverage to Branch.

Gee I surprised to see you 46 yrs old after reading your quote above. I could have sworn you weren't any older than 14.

 

[Disnardo]

Gee I surprised to see you 46 yrs old after reading your quote above. I could have sworn you weren't any older than 14.

Not surprise at all...

I just resposted what the article stated... it was not my idea, just spredding good cheer...:wink:

 

[MR NFLFAN]

Not surprise at all...

I just resposted what the article stated... it was not my idea, just spredding good cheer...:wink:

We'll never know exactly what the article stated seeing you can't provide a link but I think your making things up as you go. You could be a little more creative and actually try and make them believable though.:shakeno:
Nobody with half a brain is going to think for a moment that Branch's agent brought that up to Belichick thinking bill was going to write him a blank check do you? Any smart agent will negotiate on his clients performance in past seasons not try to pi$$ off the boss. Deon is holding out because he wants to be compensated more fairly than his present contract is providing. I don't blame him for that and he does deserve to get a raise..now comes the hard part how much is he worth? What might or might not have happened in Belichick's personal life has no bearing or leverage one way or the other on what that figure is. If you really believe it does then I have a terrific bridge I'll sell you cheap. :wink:

 

[Disnardo]

We'll never know exactly what the article stated seeing you can't provide a link but I think your making things up as you go. You could be a little more creative and actually try and make them believable though.:shakeno:

Cheer up will you... gosh I did not mean to touch a nerve...

and no I did not make this issue up, it was in an article I read a few days ago... I am trying to find it...it was written up by some guy who was talking about training camp issues around the NFL...

and NO, I don't believe this is a negotiation plot... I am not a Bills fan...:wink:

 

[MR NFLFAN]

Cheer up will you... gosh I did not mean to touch a nerve...

and no I did not make this issue up, it was in an article I read a few days ago... I am trying to find it...it was written up by some guy who was talking about training camp issues around the NFL...

and NO, I don't believe this is a negotiation plot... I am not a Bills fan...:wink:

Probably a Skip Bayless or (Clueless I should say) aritcle. You didn't touch a nerve. Sports writers can speculate what ever they want to in an article but that doesn't make it true.
Here's a blast from the past about know it all sports writers/TV experts. Do you remember back in 2003 5 days before opening day the Pats release Big mouth Lawyer Milloy and the wonderful Tom Jackson of espn makes the statement that the patriots team now hates their coach. Then the patriots go on to beat Carolina in the SB. Now if that is what you call hating your head coach then I hope they never get over it. :D

 

[Vertical Limit]

They still got Chad Jackson, and IMO he will turn out to be a better receiver than Deion Branch, though Deion is pretty damn good.

 

[Disnardo]

Probably a Skip Bayless or (Clueless I should say) aritcle. You didn't touch a nerve. Sports writers can speculate what ever they want to in an article but that doesn't make it true.
Here's a blast from the past about know it all sports writers/TV experts. Do you remember back in 2003 5 days before opening day the Pats release Big mouth Lawyer Milloy and the wonderful Tom Jackson of espn makes the statement that the patriots team now hates their coach. Then the patriots go on to beat Carolina in the SB. Now if that is what you call hating your head coach then I hope they never get over it. :D

Th stuff I read was more like "non-sense" reporting. One of those things that you say "wow someone really got paid to write up somehing like that?"
I am still trying to find it, it makes for interesting reading...

 

[ThePats]

Ahh Branch is screwing himself over by listening to Chayut. Basically Branch has the oppurtunity to earn 6 Million bucks per year for 3 or 5 years. Instead he is holding out and his fine total is now above 100,000. Oh yeah Deion, be smart, its not the guy telling you to sit out who's getting fined. Its Deion himself.

Chayut said 6 million per year was an insulting offer. For a good but not great WR, I'd say thats almost giving Branch a contract he is not worth.

Silly Jason.

Too bad the BB thing fell apart, even after the Herald's big attempts to spread it. Every big site including ESPN didnt even acknowledge it.