Patriots owner Robert Kraft hopes that wide receiver Deion Branch will rejoin his team. "We'll know the answer to that within three days," Kraft said last night prior to the team's annual Kickoff Gala at Gillette Stadium. ``Like all the fans, I appreciate and think Deion is very special. But we have to let things work their way out and we'll see what happens come Friday."

According to various published reports, the Bears, Vikings, Seahawks, Eagles and Broncos should be among those interested in trading for Deion Branch of the New England Patriots. Branch was given until September 1st to find a team for the Patriots to trade him to.

The New England Patriots have granted wide receiver Deion Branch permission to seek a trade and contract with another club. Branch has been holding out and neither side has been willing to budge in the negotiations.

The Patriots released veteran Martin Gramatica on Wednesday, giving the place-kicking job to rookie Stephen Gostkowski. The fourth-round draft choice from Memphis won the competition to replace Adam Vinatieri, who signed with Indianapolis as a free agent in the offseason. In Saturday's 30-3 exhibition win over Arizona, Gostkowski was 3-for-3 on field goals, two covering 37 yards and another 33, while Gramatica didn't play.

Deion Branch, in the middle of a lengthy holdout, broke his silence in an interview with Ch. 4?s Steve Burton on Tuesday night, saying he?s ?pretty sure everything will work out? between himself and the Patriots. ?I?ve got a great feeling that we?re both going to do what?s right,? Branch said. ?We?re going to make sure everything works out.?

Junior Seau will wear number 55 with the New England Patriots, something that Willie McGinest considers insulting. "If they say I'm somebody who embodied what they represented in the past and helped them win championships and so forth, I think that should have been a situation where ownership should have taken charge," McGinest said. "The organization should have stepped up (and set the number aside). They didn't, so that's just another indication they were making another, quote-unquote, business move."

Moving to bolster their offensive line, and to compensate for the absence of starting right tackle Oliver Ross, the Cardinals on Monday acquired four-year veteran Brandon Gorin from the Patriots, ESPN.com has learned. New England will receive a conditional choice in the 2007 draft.

Matt Leinart looked like a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at the start of his NFL career. It didn't last. Leinart spent the rest of Arizona's 30-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Saturday night resembling what he is, a rookie with almost no real practice experience.

Junior Seau?s retirement ended Friday when the linebacker agreed to a contract with the New England Patriots. The team didn?t disclose terms of the deal with Seau, whose signing followed four days of on-again, off-again signals about whether the 37-year-old would return to the NFL. Seau was cut by the Dolphins and subsequently retired ceremoniously as a member of the Chargers.

Junior Seau's retirement will have lasted just three days if he passes a Friday physical. If the Patriots find him healthy, he's expected sign a one-year, $1-million contract with New England, with the chance to earn extra money with some lucrative incentives. Seau, 36, announced his retirement in an emotional press conference in San Diego on Monday afternoon, convinced he had played his last down in the NFL after 16 years with the Chargers and Dolphins. But on Tuesday, he got a call from the Patriots, asking him if his retirement was permanent.