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Weaver Out -- New England Rejects Trade Offers For Branch

By Shrug

The Seattle Times reports backup RB Leonard Weaver suffered a high ankle sprain in last night's exhibition victory against the Raiders. The injury will likely cost Weaver a hefty chunk of time -- if not a roster spot altogether, given the way Ruskell dispatched injured tryouts with due speed in the preseason. We should be hearing about the final roster cuts sometime during the holiday weekend.

And, as phildopip first reported in his diary entry, the Boston Herald reports both the Seahawks and the Jets have come to tentative agreements with Patriots WR Deion Branch, the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX who's been holding out of camp for a deal this preseason:

Sources confirm that Branch has received two offers, from the Jets and Seahawks, in the $36 million to $39 million range. Each offer is for six years, with the guaranteed money undisclosed... The Patriots are believed to be seeking one and possibly two first-rounders for Branch, which makes the possibility of a deal far less likely, considering that wideouts from Javon Walker to Ashley Lelie to Donte Stallworth have each been traded recently for no better than a second-round pick.
   
    Opening a Branch at Qwest?
? Boston Herald
 
The deadline's at 1pm Pacific time, so I expect we'll have a final decision by then. Branch would be a great insurance policy for Darrell Jackson, who's still our No. 1 receiver despite not seeing any time in the preseason.

The amount of the Seahawks' hypothetical deal makes me wonder how the receiving order would be reshuffled. I'd expect neither Jackson nor Nate Burleson would be happy about being bumped to No. 3, or that Branch would necessarily be happy there either. It'll be interesting to say the least.

Update [2006-9-1 17:41:3 by Shrug]: As mentioned within the comments, the Patriots have rejected the trades offered by both Seattle and the Jets. Branch has filed a grievance with the NFLPA, charging that the Patriots promised to trade him if the deal was good enough, and that Seattle's and New York's offers both met that minimum. If you're inclined, you can probably follow this issue at SB Nation's Patriots blog, but the Seattle aspect of this story appears to be finito.

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