Deion Branch Misses Practice, Speculation Continues

Deion Branch missed the Seahawks first practice following the bye week today and head coach Pete Carroll side-stepped questions about his status. Officially, Branch was away tending to personal matters. Carrol said "at this point" he expects wide receiver to return Wednesday and also said Branch's status with the team is not in doubt "at this point."

Seattle PI writer Greg Johns thinks something is going on behind the scenes.

After almost a full week to take time off and relax, adding two more personal days surely raises some eyebrows. Whether the Seahawks are finalizing the rumored trade with New England remains to be seen.

More as it becomes available but keep an eye on the situation.

Deion Branch Trade Rumor: New England In Talks With Seattle

In a classic Bill Belicheck move earlier this week, New England flipped talented wide receiver Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings for draft picks. Perhaps looking to fill the void in production Moss leaves, the Patriots are involved in preliminary talks with the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver Deion Branch.

According to the Seattle Times' Danny O'Neil, nothing is immanent but talks have been ongoing.

There were indications on Wednesday that a Branch-to-the-Patriots deal was in the making, but it's premature to characterize it as imminent. It's something to keep monitoring throughout the day.

The Boston Herald's Ian Rapoport followed-up by saying the talks are very preliminary and nothing is, as of now, close to a done-deal.

A trade to New England would represent a homecoming of sorts for Branch. The Seahawks traded a first-round draft pick to the Patriots for Branch during the 2006 season.

Again, nothing is happening as of now, but keep an eye on the situation as it unfolds.