There’s been almost zero clarity in terms of what has been going on with Brandon Browner the past 24 hours.
Late Thursday night, it was reported Brown was in the nation’s capital visiting with the Washington Redskins and was planning a trip to the New Orleans Saints if he wasn’t offered a contract. Then, the confusion began.
Both ESPN and NFL.com reported Browner had agreed to a deal with the New England Patriots, but within minutes Browner’s agent, Peter Schaffer, denied it. According to Schaffer, Brown was still in negotiations with four teams — believed to be the Pats, Redskins, Saints and New York Jets.
Soon after, ESPN reported Browner was still close to signing with New England, but there was a complication in the deal because the cornerback is suspended for the first four games due to violating the NFL’s drug policy.
A well-placed Patriots source: “Browner wants to be in NE, I think we are close, but it’s a tough deal to do because of suspension, etc.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2014
Friday morning, it was reported Browner cancelled his visit with the Redskins and is believed to be up in New England trying to finalize a deal with the Patriots. What transpires remains a mystery, and it might be impossible to predict what will happen next given the past 24 hours.
On the wide receiver front, markets are beginning to materialize for the top three remaining at the position. According to ESPN, Julian Edelman is scheduled to visit with the San Francisco 49ers on Friday. The Niners are also showing interest in Hakeem Nicks, per the report.
Patriots free-agent WR Julian Edelman is scheduled to visit the 49ers on Friday, per source. SF also interested in Giants WR Hakeem Nicks.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2014
The last we heard on these two wideouts was that the Cleveland Browns were making “a strong push” for the former Patriot, and that the Carolina Panthers were looking to land Nicks, a hometown kid.
The New York Jets inked the top wide receiver, Eric Decker, to a deal on Day 2. Apparently, the team is not done yet.
According to the New York Daily News, the team has “strong interest” in Emmanuel Sanders, who will meet with the team later than expected. Sanders will visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday after meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in the week.
Jets have strong interest in Emmanuel Sanders, who was originally set to visit Jets tomorrow. But scheduling conflict prompted change #nyj
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) March 14, 2014
One interesting twist in free agency could be up in the Pacific Northwest, where there could be a reunion between the Seattle Seahawks and recently released wideout Sidney Rice. According to NFL.com, the team is interested in re-signing Rice, who was riddled by injuries during his time in Seattle. The team lost Golden Tate to the Detroit Lions and has a void at the position.
This is an interesting twist. I’m told the #Seahawks are now interested in re-signing WR Sidney Rice, a salary cap casualty.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2014
