Branch signs with Seahawks

Deion Branch signed a $39 million, six-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday. "I was losing a lot of money," Branch said. Not anymore.

Branch will receive $13 million in a bonus and other guarantees, according to a person in the league close to the negotiations who requested anonymity because the terms had not yet been announced. About $23 million is due to Branch over the first three years of the deal, likely making him a fixture in Seattle's currently crowded passing game.

Agent Jason Chayut said that Seattle's deal, which came one day after Branch was traded to the Seahawks for a 2007 first-round draft choice, trumped a strong offer from the New York Jets.

The former Super Bowl MVP had been scheduled to make $1.045 million in the final year of his Patriots contract.

He missed the entire preseason and the Patriots' season opener on Sunday -- at a price of $14,000 per day -- before he was traded on Day 45 of his holdout.

The 27-year-old signed the Seahawks contract after he, his fiancee and 19-month-old daughter arrived in Seattle for the first time in Branch's life on Monday night.

Source

• SI.com

Date

Tue 09/12/06, 6:39 pm EST

Anonymous Fanatic #1

814 days ago

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dupe

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DNLLegend

813 days ago

Score 3

Not a dupe. The first article was about the trade. This is about the contract.

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I am a cpcpMajor Leaguer

813 days ago

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Amazing how a barely top 20 receiver can be one of the top 5 prima donna jerks. I hate it when athletes talk like they're poor.

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DNLLegend

813 days ago

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I don't thin he's being that unreasonable. He was owed $1.05m as part of a rookie contract over which he has little to no negotiationg power. He was to be a free agent at the end of the year, but he plays in a sport where injuries are commonplace (indeed, he missed most of 2004) and would call into question his value on the open market. While $1.05m is a lot for a year, he's 27, and really has little earning power after his NFL career ends (how long did Timmy Smith's candle burn for?). Branch's value is high -- he is just looking out for himself.

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I am a cpcpMajor Leaguer

813 days ago

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I disagree. I understand what you're staying, but when it's getting into the middle of September and he's just deciding he'll grace a team with this presence on the field, that's beyond "looking out for himself" and getting into full distraction mode. He won't be at 100% for a few weeks and now he's getting paid more to not be ready. He's already missed one game, is he going to give that money back? I doubt too many of the 'Hawks are ready to welcome a guy that just blew off a consistant contendre and a QB that stood up for him into their locker room.

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DNLLegend

813 days ago

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Well, what else is he supposed to do? He only has one real weapon -- hold out.

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Ray agmJV Squad

813 days ago

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Branch was looking out for himself and the Pats I feel were being quite the hardass about it. I would raise issue if he was doing this over a couple million, but that's not the case. Giving up a 1st rounder AND paying Branch this contract tells me that it might be Superbowl or bust for Seattle this year.

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DrpatriotAll-American

813 days ago

Score 1

Ray, Branch would accept 6 million per year from the Pats because they wouldn't tear up the existing final year on his deal. Branch was the unreasonable one, not the Patriots.

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Ray agmJV Squad

813 days ago

Score 0

I see...so this was all over that final year of the rookie contract? Sorry, haven't been really keeping up with this situation.

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