The Patriots will pay defensive tackle Alan Branch the bonus he’s due Wednesday to keep him on the roster, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Tuesday.
Branch, 31, started 15 games last season, his second with the Patriots. He signed a two-year deal last March to stay with the Patriots and will have a $1.2 million base salary in 2016 after the Patriots pay his $400,000 roster bonus.
With defensive linemen about to hit the market getting big bucks, keeping Branch on board probably was an easy decision for the Patriots. Branch had one sack, two forced fumbles and knocked down two passes last season.
He started both playoff games and recorded another sack.
