It was a little surprising the Patriots gave up a fourth-round pick for Deion Branch, especially considering his $5.47 million salary this season.
The move makes a little more sense following Branch’s admission Tuesday that he’s open to renegotiating his contract.
“There are a couple things that are probably going to be talked about,” Branch said on Tuesday via comments distributed by the team. “There will be dealings between my agent and the organization, but I’m willing to make things work.”
Branch was due almost $6 million next season. If he takes a big enough haircut, perhaps Branch could be the “veteran presence” at wideout for more than just this season.