Saints Among The Interested Teams In CB Brandon Browner

Update:

Mike Garafolo reports that the Saints are among the interested teams in Patriots CB Brandon Browner. However, Garafolo adds that the Saints have company in regards to Browner.

———

Albert Breer reports that Patriots CB Brandon Browner will not accept a pay cut to be back in New England.

• Breer mentions that the Patriots options now are to exercise his option as it stands, or cut him by 4 PM EST.
• According to Breer, the Patriots are still allowing him to gauge interest from other teams, and there are teams with interest in him.

———-

Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports that the Patriots have until today to decide whether or not to pick up CB Brandon Browner‘s team option for the 2015 season.

According to a team source that spoke to Howe, the Patriots would prefer to restructure his contract and allow Browner to explore his value on the open market.

However, Howe mentions that Browner’s value could be in the neighborhood of $7 million to $8 million per year based on the contracts signed by this year’s top free agent cornerbacks.

This means that if the Patriots were to sign him to an extension, they could be looking at a sizable contract.

Should the Patriots exercised his option, Browner would count $4.8 million against the team’s cap. They would also have to pay him a $2 million roster bonus on Tuesday.

New England would pick up $4.8 million in cap by declining Browner’s option, so they clearly face a tough decision here.

Browner, 30, still has two years remaining on his three-year, $15.15 million contract, which includes base salaries of $1.9 million in 2015 and 2016.

Last year, Browner appeared in nine games for the Patriots and recorded 25 tackles, one interception and six pass defenses.