What? What the heck are you giving me the HELLO? I ain't comparing Branch to Johnson, so why are you comparing there ages? I am responding to the comment that the Bengals dominate through Chad Johnson comment and my comment to that was JOHNSON IS A SUPERSTAR. The Branch is VERY YOUNG comment isn't in COMPARISON TO JOHNSON, it's just a in general comment about Branch.
It appeared to me that you were comparing the two to one another, and even if you weren't it still illustrates the point that he's only one year younger. He's hardly a spring chicken. He's at the point where he should be putting up some numbers, and if not, he's not likely to start. As a bonus, it appears he did just complete his first injury free season. Whoopee!
No, but if he has no intention of playing for NE anyway, he can just report Week 10 and earn credit for the season. NE would either have to franchise him at the end of the season and try to trade him, or let him walk.
For free. Under that scenario, he'd be playing the last seven weeks of the season for free. That is to say, he'd have accrued half a million dollars in fines, been paid zero salary for the first ten weeks of the season, and he'd have New England looking to recover the remaining unearned portion of his signing bonus (20%). That a WHOLE lot of dough. If he loses arbitration, I'd have to think his incompetent agent will approach the team and suggest that Deion will go back immediately if New England will waive all his fines and not touch his signing bonus. New England, being greedy beeyotches, will tell him his signing bonus is safe, but to make the check for fines out to K-R-A-F-T. Frankly, I don't put a whole lot of stock in this "he doesn't want to play for NE" stuff. As with any professional athlete, he wants to play for whoever wants to pay his price. It's just that simple. He wasn't looking to be traded to the Jets or Seahawks because he gets all squishy with emotion about the teams; they met his financial expections.