Patriots re-sign WR Deion Branch to 1-year deal

WR Deion Branch is a possession receiver at this stage of his career but Patriots QB Tom Brady trusts him, and that was likely reason enough to bring him back for at least another season.

Branch will be back in New England for another season. (Getty Images)

There was some concern that with the additions of Brandon Lloyd and Anthony Gonzalez, veteran wide receiver Deion Branch might be the odd man out in New England. Not the case, it turns out. According to CBSSports.com Rapid Reporter Greg Bedard, a league source confirmed that the Pats re-upped Branch for one more year.

"I truly hope that Deion Branch remains with the team. He's also been one of my favorite guys," owner Robert Kraft said before the signing became public. And now that it has, New England heads into the draft with a full stable of wide receivers, including Brandon Lloyd, who should give Tom Brady the deep threat he lacked a season ago.

That role was supposed to fall to Chad Ochocinco, acquired from the Bengals before training camp, but he mustered just 15 catches and a single touchdown during the regular season. And there has been speculation that he could be released this offseason. In addition to Lloyd, the Pats also signed former Colts first-rounder, Anthony Gonzalez. He's not a home-run hitter but his reliable hands and precise route-running skills make him an attractive underneath option. This assumes Gonzalez can stay healthy, something he struggled with during his five years in Indianapolis.

The Patriots franchised Wes Welker prior to free agency and the plan (in theory, anyway) is to sign him to a long-term deal instead of having him play under the one-year, $9.4 million franchise tender. The rash of big-money contracts going to wide receivers during the first days of free agency might have raised Welker's asking price (he's arguably better than all of them except Jackson) … except that that's not how the Pats do business.

They're more secretive than the Kremlin during the Cold War, and you're more likely to witness an Ochocinco touchdown reception than have a leak on player-personnel matters. For now, though, New England's stable of wideouts is tentatively set.

With the addition of Branch, who didn't draw much interest on the open market but was valuable to the Pats because Brady trusts him, New England is likely out of the Mike Wallace Sweepstakes. (Actually, they appeared to be out of it when they signed Lloyd, although maybe that changes if they release Ochocinco. Then again, given Wallace's asking price, maybe not.)

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