Patriots: 5 Bill Belichick roster moves that cut fans the deepest
player. 47. . S. New England Patriots. Lawyer Milloy. 4
This isn’t the first time Bill Belichick cut a team leader a week before the season start: he did the exact same thing in 2003 when he cut Pro Bowl safety Lawyer Milloy. Having forged strong bonds with early Patriots teams, Milloy was a defensive team captain that played in Foxboro for seven seasons.
But past loyalty meant little to Belichick, as Milloy refused to take a pay cut after a disappointing year and was promptly released from his four-year contract.
“Has it ever been this quiet in here? I don’t think it has,” recalled linebacker Tedy Bruschi at the time. “I think ‘shocked’ is the word. . . . You sort of just shake your head and ask yourself, ‘Why?'”
Players and fans alike pondered the question, especially when Milloy and the Buffalo Bills vanquished the Patriots 31-0 in the 2003 season opener. But in true fairytale fashion, everything worked out for this Super Bowl-winning team — especially when they beat the Bills at 31-0 later in the season.
Milloy bounced around the league for the remainder of his career, playing for three different teams over seven years without ever making another Pro Bowl. And while he understands Belichick’s decision from a business standpoint, he’s still “disgusted” with how Belichick handled it.
player. 47. . WR. New England Patriots. Deion Branch. 3
Only seven wide receivers have won Super Bowl MVP, and Deion Branch is one of them. Branch thought that counted for something, or at least more than the $1.045 million he was allotted in the final year of his rookie contract.
The Patriots agreed, but their counter was weak for their best receiver through three Super Bowls. A three-year contract for less than $19 million pushed Branch to holdout until he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a first-round pick.
Branch went on to snag a $39 million bag in a six-year deal with the Seahawks, while the Patriots were left relying on slot receiver Troy Brown. Still, the 2006 Patriots made the AFC Championship while Branch languished in Seattle. Branch was well-paid yet under-utilized, prompting his return to Belichick’s fold in 2010.
That’s right: once Branch got his paycheck, he came back to play in New England, getting almost as many yards in his first game back in New England than he did in his last four games in Seattle combined.