Deion Branch Restructures Deal With Patriots In 2011

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Tom Brady On Deion Branch: 'We Need Him This Week'

Tom Brady made his weekly appearance on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show Tuesday morning, and took time to offer his reaction and thoughts on the Patriots reacquiring Deion Branch: Brady does get a chance to connect with old buddy Branch, who came over in a trade last night from the Seahawks.

Brady mentioned that "he's caught a lot of deep balls in his career, but there's a lot of guys with explosiveness in the passing game." ...

With the Branch trade, Brady said he may have spoken with teammates about it, but "I never had one conversation with Coach Belichick about it. He knows what type of players he wants on this team. That's pretty much the same type as the Bruschis, the Vrabels, the McGinests, the Ty Laws. That's the type of character Deion is."

Brady was also quick to point out that a lot has changed since Branch left the Patriots, and that stepping back into the offense may not be so simple. 

"I'm not sure how much Deion has retained over the years," Brady said. "He's a smart player, but he's certainly going to have his work cut out for him. Things aren't exactly the same as when we left, we've evolved quite a bit with the offense we're running. I'm sure there's a pretty steep learning curve, but hopefully he gets up to speed as much as possible. We need him this week."

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Deion Branch: 'Thank You Seattle'

While there's no official word from the Patriots, Deion Branch is preparing for his return to New England, and he's starting by saying goodbye to the Seahawks fans. 

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Wes Welker Surprised Randy Moss Was So Adamant About Being Traded

Even though there are rumors swirling that the New England Patriots are trying to trade for a marquee wide receiver to replace Randy Moss, it’s too early to tell if a sensible deal will materialize. For the time being at least, Wes Welker will be expected to pick up the production slack left by Moss’ departure. For a guy that underwent ACL surgery not too long ago, that may be a lot to ask, but if there’s anybody who’s up for it, it’s Welker.

When asked about the decision to trade Moss, Welker expressed that he was surprised — not by the fact that the Patriots traded him, but by how Moss was so interested in getting out of town.

Welker talked about the reports that Moss pushed for the trade. It was something that he was clearly not happy with hearing.

“I think that was kind of the difficult thing, just because he was the guy giving the pep talks before games and halftime, and after the game,” Welker said.

“Not knowing he wanted to be traded the whole time was a little bit disappointing. At the same time, he’s doing what’s best for him. It’s a business. You just have to roll with it.”

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Patriots And Chargers Reportedly Engaged In Vincent Jackson Trade Talks

You can probably expect more of the same until an actual deal is done, but on Thursday evening, Tom Curran of Comcast SportsNet reported that the New England Patriots are in talks with the San Diego Chargers about a possible trade for wide receiver Vincent Jackson. The Patriots, of course, are searching for Randy Moss’s replacement after trading him away to the Minnesota Vikings earlier this week.

Earlier today, Deion Branch was mentioned as a possible target for the Patriots. To me, a trade involving Vincent Jackson makes a lot more sense than does one for Branch.

Talks are preliminary at this point but the idea of the Patriots acquiring Jackson in exchange for Logan Mankins is in play.

Mankins and Jackson are in identical contractual situations. They are restricted free agents in their fifth seasons in the league. Had the expiring CBA not intervened, both would have been free agents last offseason. Both men have opted to sit out rather than play for their tender offers.

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Sources: Patriots Could Be Targeting Deion Branch As Moss Replacement

After trading away Randy Moss to the Vikings on Wednesday, the Patriots may be wasting little time in searching for a replacement in the wide receiver corps. 

According to multiple reports -- CSNNE.com's Tom Curran, the Herald's Ian Rapoport and the Globe's Shalise Manza Young -- there is talk circulating that the Patriots are discussing bringing back Deion Branch. 

With the dust settling from the Moss deal, the Patriots will likely look to add at wide receiver. And an old, familiar face could be in mix

Branch spent the first four seasons of his career with New England (he was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 Draft) before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2006. 

In four games this season, Branch has 13 receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. 

It's important to note that it is still very early in any of these discussions, and that any talks are "extremely preliminary."