| Timothy Griffin. 10th February, 2009 - 12:25 pm
 The New England Patriots made what might be the least-surprising move of the offseason when they franchised quarterback Matt Cassel, guaranteeing the former USC backup $14 million and change.
Even Cassel's roster spot was in jeopardy less than a year ago ... as many fans wanted the team to keep Matt Gutierrez as Tom Brady's backup.
We all know how that turned out. Cassel threw for over 3,600 yards and led the Pats to 11 wins, all while the players around him sustained a series of devastating injuries on both sides of the ball.
The quarterback will now be one of the most sought after commodities on the market. The Patriots really have no intention of paying a backup quarterback all that money, and to New England, that's exactly what Cassel is, a backup to Tom Brady.
Word is that Brady's rehab from knee surgery is going well. Well enough that he was able to play a full 18 holes of golf recently. By franchising Cassel, New England makes sure they still control the market.
This isn't the first time the franchise has had to deal away a high-priced backup. Just a few years ago, the team dealt Drew Bledsoe to Buffalo after Brady cemented his role as the starter. They knew they had a proven commodity, and demanded a steep price from bidders, eventually getting a first round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft from Buffalo, which they used to draft Pro-Bowl defensive lineman Ty Warren.
They didn't really want to deal Bledsoe to a division rival, but it was the best deal on the market. Now, as Yogi Berra would say, its déjà vu all over again.
Here are some possibilities for Cassel:
--The only way he stays in Foxboro is if Brady has a setback in his treatment, or if it's unclear whether he will make it back for the start of the season. Then, New England will bite the bullet and hold on to him.
--Another team could sign Cassel to an offer sheet, which is unlikely, since they would have to surrender two first round draft picks to the Patriots to get him (Note: Detroit and Philadelphia both have two first-rounders this year.)
--The final, and most likely option, is that New England will trade Cassel to another team.
He certainly won't come cheap, with the price tag likely around a first-round pick, and because Cassel is still young, likely an additional second to fourth round selection. Remember, this is for a quarterback with just fifteen career starts since high school. If giving Bill Belichick that many draft choices after he just won 11 games makes you scared, count yourself amongst every other team in the league.
So where should Cassel be checking out real estate?
The list of cities is long and could include Detroit, St. Louis, San Francisco, New York, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Minnesota, or even Kansas City.
Everyone who watched the Lions play to the league's first 0-16 record last year knows that they desperately need a semi-respectable quarterback. When the team signed Daunte Culpepper halfway through the season, and he became the starting quarterback the same week, that's a bad sign.
Signing a reserve or a special teams player halfway through the season happens all the time, but having Culpepper start right away proves that the Lions don't feel they have their quarterback of the future. Their future at wide receiver is set, with Calvin Johnson living up to the hype last year. He put up astonishing numbers despite the uncertainty and turmoil under center.
Could their franchise quarterback be Matt Stafford out of Georgia, or USC's Mark Sanchez? Perhaps.
If they traded for Cassel, they would have to give up significant draft picks, and owe Cassel a ton of money as well. With that said, the Lions may decide that they want to go for quantity over quality, and use their draft picks to restock their team with lots of young talent instead of just one player.
Speaking of teams without a franchise quarterback, does San Francisco believe they have their signal caller, in either Shaun Hill or Alex Smith?
Hill took over the starting job from J.T. O'Sullivan halfway through last year, and went 5-3, but that wasn't enough to earn him the starting job for this year outright. The 49ers also still have former first overall pick Alex Smith on their roster, who missed all of last year with a shoulder injury.
Smith showed some promise when he was the starter, but also struggled at times. O'Sullivan is largely out of the picture there, as his propensity for turnovers frustrated new head coach Mike Singletary.
Again, Cassel would not come cheap, but San Francisco isn't a long way off from competing for a playoff spot, especially in the NFC West. They finished in the bottom third of the league in offense, despite a solid running back in Frank Gore, and a very decent wide receiver duo of Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson. The quarterback position was the problem last year.
Does the defense in San Francisco need a little help? Yes they do, especially against the pass. But as teams have proven, you can get quality cornerbacks in the middle rounds of the draft, and they don't need to take one like Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins or Illinois' Vontae Davis in the first round.
The Rams are also a possible landing spot for Cassel.
Marc Bulger continues to have problems staying on the field, and has started to show signs of the beating he has taken behind a sub par offensive line. Picking up Cassel would allow the Rams to jettison Bulger before he completely breaks down.
Bulger has only played a full season once in his seven-year career, and has had more interceptions than touchdowns each of the last two seasons, while putting up passer ratings just north of 70.
This team is definitely in rebuilding mode, after really struggling out of the gate, and finishing with a 2-14 record in 2008.
While beginning the rebuilding process with someone like tackle Andre Smith would be a nice way to start, much like the Dolphins did last year, it's not the only option, and for a team who finished near the bottom of the league on both offense and defense, trading for Cassel would certainly make Steven Jackson and Co. dangerous on at least one side of the ball.
The Jets remain an unlikely possibility, as the Patriots are likely unwilling to send Cassel to their division rival. However, Gang Green still needs to figure out what they are doing with Brett Favre.
Is he coming back? If he doesn't, is Kellen Clemens ready to make the next step?
The Patriots may not want to send Cassel to the Jets, but if the Jets make a mammoth offer, New England may not be willing to match it, and settle for taking New York's draft selections.
Tampa Bay has an abundance of quarterbacks, thanks to former head coach John Gruden, but Brian Griese, Jeff Garcia and Luke McCown are not long-term answers.
The Bucs are also a team in transition, even though they just missed out on the postseason last year. It's clear the defense will need an overhaul, and that is the priority, but the team can't overlook the other side of the ball either. Failing to get the quarterback situation straightened out, could make the process a lot harder on new head man Raheem Morris.
Another less likely landing spot is Chicago, where the monsters of the midway seemed all set with Kyle Orton at the helm. But while Orton did have some games with big numbers last year, he is still a game manager under center, and not someone who you want throwing the ball around the field.
Matt Forte looks to be the real deal at tailback, so the Bears are not without weapons. But they're still at the very least a good receiver away from being an offense anyone is scared of. Picking up Cassel, and maybe another wide receiver on the cheap (Chad Johnson perhaps?), would make the Bears a two-dimensional team, and not a squad that has to rely on their defense to win every game for them.
But still one of the most intriguing possibilities remains the Kansas City Chiefs, where Cassel would be reunited with the man who drafted him in the first place, general manager Scott Pioli.
No one, including Kansas City, knows if last season's quarterback by default, Tyler Thigpen, can continue to perform at the level he showed at the end of last season. They have Brodie Croyle on their roster as well, but he wasn't exactly lighting up the scoreboard when he was healthy over parts of the last two seasons.
They, like Detroit, could take a chance on drafting a quarterback, but their lack of success with Croyle may make it tough to pull the trigger on someone like Mark Sanchez, with just one year at the helm at USC. Pioli would know exactly what he is getting if he dealt for Cassel, and that familiarity would make it that much easier to pull the trigger on a deal.
Putting Cassel with Larry Johnson (maybe), Tony Gonzalez, and Dwayne Bowe would give the Chiefs an offense that could score. Then their only problem would be keeping the other team off of the board.
So with a multitude of possible destinations, only one thing is certain with Matt Cassel, wherever he goes, he'll be a very rich man. |
