Seahawks Trade For Branch

From Mike Kahn at Seahawks.com:

Sometimes rumors really do come true.

With perceptions that the New England Patriots would not part with Deion Branch, despite their inability to come up with a new contract, the Seattle Seahawks pried away the gifted wide receiver Monday in exchange for a 2007 No. 1 draft choice.

The move for the 27-year-old former Super Bowl MVP greatly expands the Seahawks talent base at wide receiver and is another example of how the team is willing to make any move necessary to enhance their chances of returning to the Super Bowl this winter.

Branch’s business managers were due in town late Monday to work out the details of a long-term deal extension, Seahawks president Tim Ruskell said, adding that this has been going on for a couple of weeks.

“We’ve looked at him and studied him - a good fit for our system in terms of what we do,” Ruskell said. “And doing further research, a good guy for the team, another good character guy for this football team, which I think I’m more excited about that part than the player, even. Those were the main reasons to continue to pursue it and then ultimately get the deal done. It’s a chance to get another football player that fits our team and adds to our chemistry.”

The 5-9, 193-pound Branch had one more year on his contract but was unhappy with the prospects the Patriots had laid out on the table. The 65th pick overall in the 2002 draft from Louisville, Branch set a record with 11 receptions and earned MVP honors as the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXIX. He also caught 10 passes in Super Bowl XXXVIII, and holds two of the top seven receiving records in Super Bowl history.