KIRKLAND, Wash. - The New England Patriots ended the holdout of receiver Deion Branch yesterday by trading him to the Seattle Seahawks for a first-round draft pick.
Seattle expects to finalize a new, multiyear contract with the MVP from the Super Bowl in 2000 in the next few days. The Seahawks now have four proven, NFL starting receivers for Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and an offense that was sluggish in a 9-6 win in Detroit in its opener Sunday.
Branch was entering the last season of a five-year contract he signed as a rookie. He held out of the mandatory minicamp in June and all of training camp. He has been subject to a $14,000 fine for each day he held out from July 28, the start of training camp.
In the 2005 Super Bowl, Branch had 11 catches for 133 yards against Philadelphia, helping the Patriots win their third championship in four years. Last season, he caught 78 passes for 998 yards and five touchdowns, all career highs. In four seasons, he has 213 receptions for 2,744 yards and 14 touchdowns.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Defensive end Reggie Hayward ruptured his left Achilles' tendon in the opener against Dallas and will have season-ending surgery in the next 10 days, a potentially devastating injury for the Jaguars (1-0).
Hayward signed a five-year, $25 million contract in March 2005. He led the team with 8½ sacks and 59 quarterback pressures last season. He also had 47 tackles and two forced fumbles.
Backup defensive tackle Rob Meier will move outside and start alongside Marcus Stroud, John Henderson and Paul Spicer on Monday night against Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh (1-0).
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Trent Green sustained a "very, very severe concussion" when his head was slammed into the ground by Cincinnati's Robert Geathers and will be hospitalized at least until today, the Kansas City Chiefs said.
The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback will be listed as questionable this week at Denver. Chiefs President Carl Peterson said he didn't know when Green might return.
Losing Green for long could be devastating to the Chiefs. Starting at Denver will be journeyman Damon Huard, who until Sunday had not completed a pass in the NFL since Dec. 24, 2000. Behind Huard are rookies Brodie Croyle and Casey Printers, both of whom were unimpressive in the preseason.
McCollum, a 13-year veteran who made his 156th consecutive start in Sunday's 18-10 victory over the Denver Broncos, will undergo surgery in a few weeks for a torn ACL and MCL ligaments.
McCollum, 36, was injured on a pass play in the second quarter when he got turned with his back to the line and a Denver player fell into his legs. Larry Turner, a seventh-round pick in 2004, finished the game at center.
GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Green Bay Packers agreed to terms with wide receiver Koren Robinson, who recently was cut by the Minnesota Vikings after being charged with drunken driving.
The sixth-year veteran made the Pro Bowl for the Vikings last season after leading the NFC and ranking fifth in the league in kickoff returns (26.0 avg., 47 returns, 1,221 yards). He returned a kickoff for a touchdown in Minnesota's Nov. 13 victory over the New York Giants.
San Diego Chargers linebacker Steve Foley remained hospitalized in fair condition, eight days after he was shot by an off-duty Coronado police officer who suspected him of drunk driving, his agent said.
Foley was shot three times - twice in the back of the left leg and once on the outside of the left thigh, agent David Levine said in a prepared statement.
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