Deion Branch restructured his contract on Wednesday, agreeing to take less money to, as he put it, "always be around champions."
"I think it was just more so something that I was dealing with; it's nothing bad at all," Branch said today. "I just always wanted to be around champions. It's always good to have that feeling and to know what you're surrounded with."
With the adjustments, Branch now stands to make a base salary of $2.2 million -- down from $5.95 million -- in 2011,his final year of a six-year deal. Incentives, however, could have Branch earning as much as $4 million.
The number is now closer to Wes Welker's base salary of $2.15 million in 2011.
Branch said it's just part of what it took to get him back in New England.
"Sometimes it is, it's hard to say," Branch said. "For me, personally, yeah. ... That's part of the agreement we worked out. Both parties sat down and we got something done that we both feel satisfied with."