Brandon Browner - Pro Football Rumors

Police Investigating Brandon Browner For Assault

July 6th, 2016 at 11:41am CST by Sam Robinson

Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner has been named in a police report by the father-in-law of Browner’s girlfriend, Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times reports. The man claims Browner assaulted him on Tuesday night.

The man claimed the 31-year-old cornerback assaulted him in the driveway of Browner’s Pomona, California, home, according to a police report. No charges have been filed yet, with the Pomona Police Department determining if enough evidence exists to justify a warrant for Browner’s arrest, Jenks reports.

Browner left the residence before police arrived, and the alleged victim refused medical treatment at the scene.

The veteran cornerback returned to the Seahawks this offseason after signing with the Saints in 2015. He endured a rough season in New Orleans after being part of two Super Bowl championship teams — the 2013 Seahawks and 2014 Patriots. Browner missed the 2013 playoffs because of an indefinite suspension due to the violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

The league reinstated the physical corner in March of 2014, however, Browner served a drug-related suspension to start the ’14 campaign. Browner is signed for a non-guaranteed $760K with the Seahawks but will count $4.05MM against the Saints’ cap this season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Pats, Saints, Jets, Browns

May 31st, 2016 at 8:48pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There was a report Sunday stating that Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler‘s absence from voluntary OTAs pertained to his desire to land a new contract. That isn’t the case, according to the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe, who tweets that Butler will report to Gillette Stadium for OTAs this week. His arrival will come as welcome news to the Patriots, whose defense Butler became an integral part of last season. On the heels of serving as an unlikely Super Bowl XLIX hero in the Pats’ dramatic win over the Seahawks in February 2015, the 26-year-old Butler broke out in earnest during a 16-start campaign, totaling 67 tackles and two interceptions. Butler is now scheduled to rake in $600K in 2016 before becoming a restricted free agent.

Extra Points: Browner, Cowboys, Foster

May 26th, 2016 at 8:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Some assorted notes from around the NFL on this Thursday evening…

Brandon Browner told Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter) that returning to the Seahawks was a “no-brainer.” The veteran also acknowledged that he had received an offer from the Redskins.
Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones says the team has faith in Kellen Moore as the team’s No. 2 QB, Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram tweets. Jones’ comments indicate that the team will not be looking for outside help to support starter Tony Romo.
Free agent running back Arian Foster says he’s getting closer to being 100% healthy, though he says that he needs some more time before he can look like his old self. “I probably need another month to get where I am, the person everyone is use to seeing,” Foster told David Nuno of ABC13. “I can definitely play, but I need another month to be where I want to be and be at that Pro Bowl level I can be at.”
Former Duke quarterback Anthony Boone is still in the hospital recovering from hands and hip surgeries following a weekend car crash, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson was operating the vehicle, and while cops said the 22-year-old had been drinking, sobriety tests proved that he was not impaired. Boone, 24, spent time with the Lions last season.

Contract Details: Hillman, Browner, Heath

April 21st, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here are the details of some recently-signed contracts:

Ronnie Hillman, RB (Broncos): One year, $2MM. $600K guaranteed, including $400K of base salary. $100K signing bonus, $100K workout bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
Brandon Browner, CB (Seahawks): One year, minimum salary benefit. $428K split (Twitter link via Wilson).
Jeff Heath, S (Cowboys): Four years, $7.761MM. $1.8MM signing bonus. Annual $100K workout de-escalator. $500K NLTBE playtime incentives in 2018 and 2019 (Twitter links via Wilson).
Josh Brown, K (Giants): Two years, $4MM. $1MM guaranteed. $750K available via playtime incentives and escalators (Twitter links via Wilson).
Greg Zuerlein, K (Rams): One year, $1.25MM. $675K guaranteed, including $275K of base salary (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
Chase Reynolds, RB (Rams): One year, $862K. $200K guaranteed. $87K roster bonus (Twitter link via Thomas).

West Rumors: Browner, Broncos, Cards, Allen

April 17th, 2016 at 8:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks and the newly reacquired Brandon Browner set in motion Sunday’s signing with a back-and-forth negotiation that lasted “a while,” Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports.

Seattle entered Sunday with $5.6MM in cap space, although terms of Browner’s deal with the Seahawks haven’t been disclosed. Browner’s agent tells Condotta the Seahawks were priced out of Browner’s negotiations after their Super Bowl XLVIII victory, and the veteran went on to spend 2014 with the Patriots and 2015 with the Saints.

“That was more of a (salary) cap issue,” Peter Schaffer told Condotta. “Brandon was going to get more money then they had. … it wasn’t like ‘we don’t want him back’ but like ‘shoot, if you are going to get that kind of money there’s no way we can afford him.”

The Pats ended up signing Browner, who will turn 32 in August, to a three-year, $12.35MM contract. This one-year pact with the Seahawks won’t be as pricey, especially after the Saints released Browner earlier this offseason. Pro Football Focus’ worst full-time corner in 2015, Browner revealed last month he’d played last season on a torn meniscus. Schaffer said Browner will be healthy for the ’16 season, and the Seahawks saw value in a healthy Browner coming off a down year.

Here’s some more from the teams out west, beginning with an unlikely pre-draft visit.

The Cardinals recently met with University of Calgary cornerback Elie Bouka, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports. Chiefs officials also contacted the corner, who plans to work out for other teams as the draft approaches. The 6-foot-1 Bouka missed the 2015 season with a torn left Achilles. Bouka initially signed with Weber State on 2011 national signing day but backed out after a coaching change.
Duke wideout Max McCaffrey worked out for the Broncos on Tuesday at the team’s local pro day, as did Colorado State receiver Joe Hansley, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports. McCaffrey was eligible for the Super Bowl champions’ showcase for local prospects due to residing in the Denver area. The son of former Broncos wideout Ed McCaffrey and older brother of Heisman Trophy finalist and likely 2017 draft prospect Christian McCaffrey, Max ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the Blue Devils’ pro day last month.
Denver plans to give 2015 second-round pick Ty Sambrailo a long look at guard, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports. Sambrailo started three games as the Broncos’ left tackle last season after moving from the right-edge post he was supposed to occupy just after Ryan Clady was lost for the season. Pro Football Focus tabbed Sambrailo as a low-end tackle in his three starts, but the Super Bowl champions have an opening at guard after losing Evan Mathis to the Cardinals and cutting Louis Vasquez.
Russell Okung won’t participate in these workouts, per Renck, as he rehabs from offseason shoulder surgery. Okung signed a nonguaranteed contract with the Broncos in March, a deal that includes a $1MM workout bonus. Okung doesn’t have to participate fully in the Broncos’ workouts to collect that sum, only do report and do what he’s able to.
Keenan Allen will be full-go when the Chargers open their offseason workouts Monday after missing eight games last season with a lacerated kidney, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The fourth-year player also plans to shed some weight coming into the season, hoping to move down to around 200 pounds.

Seahawks Sign Brandon Browner

April 17th, 2016 at 3:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

3:41pm: The Seahawks have officially announced the signing.

1:15pm: The Seahawks will reunite with a familiar face, as they’re set to sign free agent cornerback Brandon Browner on Monday, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link). Browner will sign a one-year deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Browner, of course, played for Seattle from 2011-13, starting 36 games and winning a Super Bowl title during that time. After one season in New England (with whom he also won a Super Bowl), Browner signed a signed a three-year, $15MM contract with the Saints and became one of the team’s starting corners. However, he disappointed in his only season in New Orleans, racking up penalties and struggling in coverage. Pro Football Focus rated him dead last in the league among 113 qualified cornerbacks.

Now 31 years old, Browner will return to the club where he’s had his best success as a pro, reuniting with his Legion of Boom compatriots Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor. The Seahawks did re-sign fellow corner Jeremy Lane during the offseason, so Browner might not be immediately placed back in the starting lineup. But Lane does excel in the slot, so there should be an opportunity for Browner to see the field in Seattle’s nickel package.

Browner didn’t take any other known visits after being released by the Saints, but since he was a street free agent, clubs wouldn’t have had to announce if they met with him. Teams could have been scared off by his dismal year in New Orleans, but Browner recently said that he played through a torn MCL last season, which could help explain some of his woes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Thomas, Mathieu, Browner, Draft

April 6th, 2016 at 10:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Broncos continue to reside up against the salary cap, ESPN.com’s Field Yates points out Demaryius Thomas‘ contract can help the Super Bowl champions clear $9.18MM worth of space.

A clause in the seventh-year wide receiver’s five-year, $70MM deal indicates the Broncos can convert any amount of Thomas’ $13MM 2016 salary into a signing bonus, which would then be spread out over the final four seasons of the pact, Yates reports. The Broncos reducing that salary to the veteran minimum of $760K would free up $9.18MM of cap space this year. The team currently resides in cap peril, with barely $1MM in space before signing Jared Crick on Wednesday, as it attempts to work out a Colin Kaepernick trade.

A Thomas restructure would make sense for the Broncos, who have many high-priced contracts on a cap sheet — although, Ryan Clady and Von Miller‘s respective $10.1 and $14.1MM numbers could well be reduced soon, or removed in Clady’s case — that doesn’t include a high-priced quarterback. Denver currently wants Kaepernick at $7MM for 2016 and ’17, but in 2017, the Broncos are as of now set to have $72.36MM of space — second-most in the league.

They’d have more room for a higher Thomas cap number with contracts like Clady’s and DeMarcus Ware‘s off their balance sheet after the 2016 league year. The Dolphins put a similar clause in Ndamukong Suh‘s deal last year.

Here’s the latest from around the league.

Rehabbing from the torn ACL he sustained in Week 15, Tyrann Mathieu said he would prefer to stay with the Cardinals long-term but acknowledges the negotiation could be tricky, with the versatile defensive back wanting a top-end contract but at a time when he’s coming off a second knee surgery, Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com writes in an expansive piece. “They have concerns, which is understandable,” Mathieu told Prisco. “I’ve had two knee surgeries. At the same time, they know who I am as a teammate, as a football player, what I mean to the community and what I can do on the football field. The easiest thing is to pay me as a safety. But if [Patrick Peterson‘s] guy goes down, I have to check Pat’s guy. For me, it’s about me being compensated for everything I do.” In late February, we heard the contract-year safety and the Cardinals were discussing an extension, but nothing has emerged from those talks as of yet.
Vernon Davis can earn up to $4.5MM in 2016 if he meets all the incentives of his Washington contract, Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports. Davis’ deal is officially a one-year, $1.66MM pact, but the 12th-year tight end meeting those as-of-now unspecified performance incentives could more than double that.
Brandon Browner posted on his Instagram account (via Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com) that he played through a torn MCL last season with the Saints. The recently released cornerback said he tore the ligament in the Saints’ first preseason game. This would help explain a steep decline that resulted in Pro Football Focus bestowing by far its worst full-time cornerback grade on Browner in 2015.
Paxton Lynch has a Cowboys visit lined up for Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, and will trek to San Diego for a Chargers meeting soon after. The 49ers also sent multiple representatives to observe the Memphis prospect at his pro day Wednesday, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
The Bills received good value on a nontraditional quarterback accord last season and still employ Tyrod Taylor but are taking a wide-ranging glance of this year’s quarterback crop. Bills reps ate dinner with Lynch and plan to visit with Connor Cook, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The team also already met with Christian Hackenberg, per Albert Breer of NFL.com, and has done plenty of research on Jared Goff.
Lynch had multiple work-related meals Wednesday, with the Saints meeting with the first-round prospect over lunch, Rapoport tweets. Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld will also visit the Saints soon.
The Cowboys met with Carson Wentz on Wednesday, according to the team’s website. The North Dakota State prospect also worked extensively with Cowboys coaches at the Senior Bowl.
Germain Ifedi has a busy schedule upcoming after performing for teams at Texas A&M’s pro day Wednesday. The Aggies’ latest tackle prospect has a slew of visits and workouts booked, WalterFootball.com’s Tony Pauline reports. Ifedi’s visit itinerary features summits with the Lions, Panthers, Bears and Texans after having already met with the Titans and Dolphins. The Cardinals, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Panthers, Texans and Falcons have scheduled workouts with Ifedi.
Veteran quarterback Seth Lobato is working out for the Panthers, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

Zach Links contributed to this report

Saints Release Brandon Browner

March 10th, 2016 at 6:59am CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 10, 6:59am: More than a month after his impending release was first reported, Browner has been cut by the Saints with a post-June 1 designation, tweets Howard Balzer. With $5.35MM in total dead money left on his contract, the Saints will carry $4.05MM of that total on their 2016 cap, with the remaining $1.3MM applied to 2017.

FEBRUARY 5, 11:40am: As expected, the Saints plan to release Browner, ESPN’s John Clayton confirms.

8:11am: The Saints appear set to part ways with Brandon Browner, according to the cornerback himself. Browner posted messages on Twitter and Instagram saying that he enjoyed and was appreciative of his time in New Orleans, suggesting that his stint with the club has come to an end.

“[You] got to take the good with the bad, sometimes treat the wins like losses,” Browner wrote on Twitter. “Next Chapter every good book has up and downs #farewellneworleans”

Coming off a Super Bowl win with the Patriots a year ago, Browner signed a three-year, $15MM contract with the Saints and became one of the team’s starting corners. However, he disappointed in his first – and potentially only – season in New Orleans, racking up penalties and struggling in coverage. Pro Football Focus rated him dead last in the league among 113 qualified cornerbacks.

If the Saints cut Browner in the coming weeks, they’ll have to eat a chunk of dead money still on his contract. Browner’s $2.75MM base salary for 2016 is fully guaranteed, and he has $2.6MM in prorated bonus money left on his deal after 2015. However, New Orleans will at least avoid paying him $2.25MM in 2016 roster bonuses, including a $750K bonus due on March 11. Overall, the club would reduce his ’16 cap hit by nearly $1MM.

Since Browner has five years of NFL experience, he won’t have to pass through waivers if and when the Saints release him, and he’d immediately be free to sign with any team. As for the Saints, they appear to have struck gold with former CFL cornerback Delvin Breaux, who had an excellent first year for the team in 2015, but they’ll be in the market for additional cornerback help this winter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

South Notes: Tillman, Norman, Browner

February 9th, 2016 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of former Pro Bowl safeties were released this week, and both William Moore and Michael Griffin have already drawn some interest from teams around the NFL, according to reports.

Andy Ross, the agent for Moore, tells D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he has received “a few calls” from teams inquiring about his client, who was cut by the Falcons on Monday. As for Griffin, he was just released hours ago by the Titans, but during an appearance today on The Midday 180 in Nashville, he said he had already received text messages from a couple coaches he used to play for, telling him to give them a call (link via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com).

With a month to go until the 2016 free agent period begins, both Moore and Griffin should have plenty of time to explore the market to find the best possible fits before the rest of this year’s class can sign with new teams.

Let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFL’s South divisions….

Cornerback Charles Tillman told Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer today that he wants to continue his NFL career, but only if he can keep playing for the Panthers. Tillman is a pending free agent.
Asked today about cornerback Josh Norman, Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said “you can’t sign everybody,” but acknowledged that he would consider the franchise tag for Norman, if necessary (link via David Newton of ESPN.com). A weekend report indicated Carolina is likely to franchise Norman.
The Saints are expected to cut Brandon Browner, but don’t expect it to happen before March, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, who tweets that Browner’s cap numbers may force the club to wait until the new league year begins.
The Colts have hired former Morgan State coach Lee Hull as a wide receivers coach, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

NFC Notes: Cardinals, Browner, Coughlin

December 6th, 2015 at 7:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Before signing a three-year extension with the Cardinals yesterday, cornerback Justin Bethel was set to hit free agency following the season. The special teams ace could have made more than $9MM guaranteed on the open market, but he told Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com that he wanted to stay in Arizona.

“You never know,” Bethel said. “You want to stay with the team that brought you in. You talk with your agents, you talk with your family, you want to do what’s best for you and your career. Not everybody plays the game for a long time. I didn’t want to go and be greedy if they gave me a really good deal, which they did. I’m thankful.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…

Brandon Browner‘s brutal first season with the Saints got even worse in today’s loss to the Panthers. The cornerback was called for three penalties, was beat by Devin Funchess for a touchdown, and was a part of the failed coverage that led to another score by Ted Ginn. The veteran was also caught arguing with teammate Jairus Byrd and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. This led to Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe tweeting that Browner should be released, citing the distraction that accompanies the defensive back.
On the flip side, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com notes (via Twitter) that the Saints are too depleted to let go of Browner, noting that both Delvin Breaux and Damian Swann are currently banged up.
Leading by 10 with less than nine minutes to go, Giants coach Tom Coughlin opted to go for the touchdown instead of a field goal. Eli Manning‘s pass ended up being picked off, setting the way for the Jets’ comeback victory. The New York Post’s Steve Serby believes that play could signal “the beginning of the end” for the long-time Giants coach.