Branch still a Patriot

The Patriots said today that they have not reached a deal to trade holdout wide receiver Deion Branch and that he remains a member of the team.

Last week, the team gave Branch a deadline of 4 p.m. today to work out a contract with another team and a trade acceptable to the Patriots. Branch negotiated two acceptable contract offers with the Jets and Seahawks, but neither team was able to work a trade with the Patriots by New England's deadline. The Jets had offered a second-round pick, which originally had belonged to the Washington Redskins. Depending on how the Redskins perform this year, it most likely would have meant a draft pick at a position similar to where Branch was originally drafted (the 65th selection on the second round). Seattle had a contract offer to Branch but no trade offer with the Patriots.

Branch, unhappy with his contract, has been a holdout for all of the preseason.

The word from Branch's camp is that he is prepared to stay out as long as mid-November if the Pats don't come up with a new deal.

At 4:02 p.m. today, the Patriots issued a one-sentence statement saying, "No trade has been consummated. Deion Branch remains under contract to the New England Patriots."

About a minute later, coach Bill Belichick began a conference call following Thursday night's 31-23 exhibition loss to the New York Giants and most of the questions were about Branch. Belichick refused several times to go beyond the statement.

"I'll let that speak for itself," he said.

When told of a report that Branch's agent, Jason Chayut, had filed a grievance with the NFL Players Association, Belichick said, "Really, I don't have anything else to say about it. I'll let that statement speak for itself."

Branch filed a second grievance with a special master whose jurisdiction is over negotiations in good faith.

Chayut and NFL Players Association lawyer Dick Berthelsen did not return calls seeking comment.

Asked if the team deadline was final, Belichick said, "I don't have anything else to add."

And when asked if he is still trying to trade Branch, he said, "I just have to let the statement speak for itself."

Did he miscalculate Branch's value on the open market? Belichick remained silent when asked that.

Branch, the MVP of the 2005 Super Bowl, is scheduled to make $1.045 million this season, the last of the five-year contract he signed as a rookie. He held out of the mandatory mini-camp in June and all of training camp which began July 28. He is subject to a $14,000 fine for each day he holds out, starting on July 28.

Last season, he caught 78 passes for 988 yards and five touchdowns, all career highs. In his four seasons, he has 213 receptions for 2,744 yards and 14 touchdowns. In the 2005 Super Bowl he had 11 catches for 133 yards against Philadelphia as the Patriots won their third championship in four years.

Branch smiled and appeared optimistic during a television interview three days before the Patriots allowed him to talk with other teams.

"I have a great feeling, you know, that we're both going to do what's right and make sure everything works out," he said on Boston's WBZ-TV. "They're going to do what's best for the team, you know, I'm going to do what's best for me."

The Patriots are without their top two receivers from last season. David Givens signed with Tennessee as a free agent for five years and $24 million, including an $8 million signing bonus.

Both were drafted in 2002. Givens, taken in the seventh round out of Notre Dame, received a four-year contract, allowing him to enter free agency and get a big contract a year earlier than Branch, who was drafted in the second round out of Louisville.

Rookie wide receiver Chad Jackson, a second-round draft pick, is sidelined with a hamstring injury that kept him out of most of training camp. Reche Caldwell, who played for San Diego last year, and Troy Brown are the team's most experienced receivers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.