So, Super Bowl XLIII has passed, and we are now in the offseason for the National Football League. There are a lot of questions surrounding the future of Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel. With reports of Tom Brady being healthy and ready to play week one of the 2009 season, Cassel is sure to be starting for a different team next season.
There are multiple teams that figure to at least talk to the Patriots about a trade possibility. The most obvious is the Detroit Lions. After going 0-16, they will be looking to find a QB that they think can be the cornerstone of their offense for years to come. They have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and I think there are two potential picks that stand out more than the others: USC's Mark Sanchez and Georgia's Matthew Stafford. It’s obvious the Lions won’t give up that No.1 draft pick for Cassel, but they do have the 20th overall pick also. They could send that to the Patriots along with another future draft pick in order to land Cassel, thus giving them the option to use that No. 1 pick on another need.
Multiple media outlets have reported that the Kansas City Chiefs could possibly be the new home of Matt Cassel. This possibility comes after they signed new General Manager Scott Pioli who scouted players for the Patriots, including Cassel for the past 7 years. The Chiefs would ultimately have to decide if Cassel is worth their third overall pick, which probably won't happen. It has already been apparent by the firing of Herm Edwards that Pioli wants his guys now so that the Chiefs can be his team. Not to mention, Pioli is a close friend with Patriots head coach and GM Bill Belichick, so it's still too early to rule out any trades between the Chiefs and Patriots.
With the San Francisco 49ers, it's a slightly different situation. Some people still haven't giving up on 2005 first round pick Alex Smith. Others think Shaun Hill could be their answer at QB. The 49ers have the 10th overall pick in the draft, and I don't know if that would be enough for the Patriots to part with Cassel when Brady is returning from an injury that has ended many careers. The 49ers are one of the teams that have enough salary cap to lock up Cassel for multiple years if they can come to a trade agreement with the Patriots.
The Bears, Vikings, and Bucs all seem to be interested in Cassel. The Bucs will probably re-sign Jeff Garcia instead of wasting picks on Cassel even though Garcia is an “older” QB. The Bears went to the Super Bowl just a couple years ago, and their offense has more help now with rookie running back Matt Forte having a Rookie-of-the-Year calliber season. Devin Hester is continuing to transition into a decent wide receiver with playmaker skills. It seems that they just need a QB they can trust so they can let their defense carry them back into the playoffs. They have the 18th overall pick and may be willing to part with it because they have not had an effective QB in over a decade. Lastly, the Minnesota Vikings have a good offensive line, arguably the best RB in the NFL and a great run defense. A lot of people believe those are the things you need to win a Super Bowl. For those reasons, I think the Vikings would be more than willing to give up their 22nd overall pick and a second round draft pick to acquire Cassel..
Of course, there is still the option that Cassel will stay in NE and serve as Brady’s backup. The Patriots don't want this to happen because they would have a whopping 23 percent of their 2009 salary cap locked up on two QBs alone. Still, they aren't going to lower their asking price for Cassel just because of that reason. They still want what they think is market value because they have a lot of questions about Brady and his reconstructed left knee. Will he be able to effectively plant and cut? How will having some laxity in the joint impact him? Will he be more vulnerable or susceptible to re-injuring his left knee? More importantly to the Patriots and their fans, will he be the same QB that won the MVP and two Super Bowl MVPs? Will he be the same QB that threw for 50 TD passes in 2007? Will he be the same QB who won three Super Bowls in 4 years?
The comparisons have already started between Cassel and Brady. Cassel got his opportunity to start for the New England Patriots after Brady tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee in the first game of the season. This is nearly identical to the way Brady took over for Drew Bledsoe when he suffered from a collapsed lung in 2001. Cassel put up arguably better numbers then Brady did in his first season as a starter. Brady in his first season threw for 2,843 yards, 18TD, 12 INTs, and had a QB rating of 86.0. As for Cassel’s first year, he had 3,693 yards, 21 TD, 11 INTs, and an 86.1 QB rating, all in only 15 games. Those stats make him one of the biggest commodities this off-season. No matter where Cassel ends up after all is said and done, there’s no doubting the Patriots are in a win-win situation![/size]
Written by:
Bostn Beanr
Discuss the blog here
Subject: Blog#2 (matt cassel options) 
