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| 16th July, 2006 - 3:57 pm |  Boston Globe - Because Deion Branch signed a five-year contract as a second-round pick in 2002, he finds himself in a difficult situation today to receive the fair market value. It is something the Patriots insisted on so they would hold leverage on Branch if he turned out to be a top player.
Randle El, taken three picks ahead of Branch, signed a four-year rookie contract with a $930,000 signing bonus. Branch, the 65th pick, got a larger signing bonus ($1.025 million) to sign for five years. As is the case with nearly all picks but first-rounders, Randle El and Branch each were paid the league minimum in base salary per season.
That $95,000 difference in upfront money may not have seemed meaningless then, but it is now, since Randle El took advantage of free agency to grab a $10 million signing bonus from the Redskins in March. Branch has spent the summer dreaming of a similar payday. [READ] |
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