With new contract and ‘unfinished business,’ Dolphins’ Branch expects ‘very, very good season’

Andre Branch effectively tripled his salary this week. So what’s next?

Well, he’s into fashion and is a foodie, so Branch is going to buy some new clothes and eat out a bit more.

But most importantly, he’s going to take care of his mom, Paulette Battle.

“I'm living a good life already,” Branch said. “This contract was for my mother.”

Branch had “quite a few” teams after him in free agency, but agreed to remain in Miami on a three-year, $24 million deal because he felt home here.

The Dolphins have a family atmosphere he hadn’t experienced since his days at Clemson, Branch said.

And furthermore, “we’ve got some unfinished business in Miami.”

Yes, they’re thinking big in South Florida. The Dolphins won’t be satisfied with a mere playoff appearance in 2017. They want to make a Super Bowl run.

And they might just have the defense to do it. On Friday alone, they added Rams defensive end William Hayes via trade and signed linebacker Lawrence Timmons and safety Nate Allen.

The moves did not go unnoticed.

“We added some key pieces with the depth now,” Branch said “It should be a very, very good season.”

This story was originally published March 10, 2017 at 6:42 PM with the headline "With new contract and ‘unfinished business,’ Dolphins’ Branch expects ‘very, very good season’."