Pats talking with Brandon Browner
— -- The New England Patriots are negotiating with suspended free agent cornerback Brandon Browner.
A well-placed Patriots source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that "Browner wants to be in New England. I think we are close, but it's a tough deal to do because of suspension, etc."
Browner will be suspended for the first four games of the 2014 regular season for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. If Browner complies with the league's policy, he'll be reinstated after the four-game suspension.
Under the terms of his suspension, Browner can sign with a team, show up for the offseason program, attend training camp, and play in the preseason.
Browner will visit with the Washington Redskins on Friday, a league source told Schefter, and will then visit New Orleans while his agent Peter Schaffer talks with New England and Oakland.
After a report surfaced Thursday night that Browner already had agreed to a two-year deal with the Patriots, Schaffer told Schefter that Browner is in negotiations with "four teams and we do not have a deal. We aren't even close."
The Patriots have already bolstered their defensive backfield this offseason by adding Darrelle Revis.
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