The Raiders resigned franchise player Tyvon Branch today and did so at a rate cheaper than guys like Eric Weedle, Michael Griffin, and teammate Michael Huff have signed for in the last calendar year. All 3 of those guys got between 4-5 years at a rate of between 7-8 million per year, between 32-40 million maximum money, and between 15-19 million guaranteed money. Branch, meanwhile, got 4 years, 26.6 million, though with a whopping 17.1 million guaranteed.

Branch is a talented player who ranked only behind Troy Polamalu on ProFootballFocus against the run and he’s improving in coverage. The Raiders needed to get a deal done to free up some cap space, but credit them for getting it done without having to get desperate and giving Branch a new deal he didn’t deserve. My one issue is just how much of this contract is guaranteed.

Grade: B