There is a strong possibility the Patriots will trade Cassel, though Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not indicate that as an option in his comment in today’s press release. “Matt has been a pleasure to coach his entire career and last season in particular, when his years of hard work and commitment resulted in a most impressive performance,” said Belichick. “We look forward to working with Matt again in 2009.” Today was the first day teams can designate franchise and transition players. The 26-year-old Cassel, who made 15 starts after Brady’s injury, completed 63.4 percent of his passes and threw for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He becomes the first offensive player and just the fourth Patriot to be franchised by the team, joining Adam Vinatieri (2002 and 2005), Tebucky Jones (2003) and Asante Samuel (2007).
Now the interesting part of the Matt Cassel saga begins. The Patriots, as we told you a month ago, would take this step, but now the drama is about to unfold. Clearly, the Patriots want more than the low third-round compensatory pick they would have received from the NFL. Who will be the major players in this sweepstakes? Here is an educated guess.
THE OBVIOUS TEAMS
DETROIT LIONS — The Lions are in the best position to make this decision. As they evaluate college quarterbacks, they can measure how Cassel compares to the quarterbacks in the draft. They can part with their second first-round pick, 20th overall, and feel like they’ve gotten two blue chip players in the first round. It will cost more than the 20th pick overall, but for the Lions, they must think quality over quantity, and getting two quality players is much better than four good players, especially if one of the quality players is a quarterback. There is a deal here — but first things first. Someone in the Lions’ building must make the determination which player is better, Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez or Cassel.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS — This team, as much as any in the league, needs one more piece to make a significant difference in its roster. Finding a legitimate quarterback was the first order of business when head coach Brad Childress took over, but he has failed so far. With a talented quarterback, the Vikings go from being contenders in the NFC North to Super Bowl contenders. They currently have the 22nd pick in the draft. They could part with that and another second rounder and would be close enough to make a deal. I’m not sure that will be enough to satisfy the Patriots, but they will be in the ballpark. The Vikings have the cap room, the willingness to make a trade (as evidenced by their deal last year to acquire Jared Allen) and a huge need. I would make them the early frontrunners. Childress is on the hot seat, and fixing the quarterback position might help him avoid more heat.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — After seven years of Jon Gruden moving and changing quarterbacks and getting older at the position, the Bucs are now desperate to fix things. They have a huge need and a ton of cap room. They have a mid-level first-round pick (19th overall), a young head coach and a young defense. The time is right to make a bold move and find a long-term answer at quarterback. Matt Ryan (Atlanta) and Drew Brees (New Orleans) are fixtures in the NFC South. The Bucs need to find a fixture, too, and right now they don’t an answer.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS – Who is the 49ers’ quarterback? Are they going to go back to Alex Smith or do they really think Shaun Hill is the answer? The 49ers have to address the quarterback position and find a long-term answer. They have cap room, they have the right pick (10<SUP>th</SUP> overall in the first round) and they have a need. However, I’m not sure anyone in the 49ers building is going to have the fortitude and the will to make this happen. They will convince themselves that Hill can lead the team. But they need to understand that they won all those championships because of the quarterbacks. Maybe the late, great Bill Walsh’s voice will be heard somewhere in the building, reminding the 49ers what made them great.
ST. LOUIS RAMS — Someone in the building gave Marc Bulger a huge contract, and I’m sure that person is gone. But new coach Steve Spagnuolo and new GM Billy Devaney must fix this position before they can think about turning around the team. Bulger might have the money, but he doesn’t solve the long-term problem. The Rams are like the Lions — they have to make their determination of Cassel as he compares to college players. Unlike the Lions, the Rams just have their own high pick, and I doubt they would be willing to make that move. I suspect the Rams will not be strong players in the Cassel market.
CHICAGO BEARS — At some point, the Bears will have to address their quarterback situation. There were times last season when Kyle Orton appeared to have a good handle on things, but after sustaining an ankle injury, he was not the same productive player he was earlier in the year. The Bears need a marquee player on offense, someone they can build around and make all the other pieces fit. They need someone they do not have to manage but who can run a complete offense. The need is there, but I doubt the Bears will be serious players. They have the 18th pick in the first round, but they hate to part with picks.
NEW YORK JETS — Jet fans can forget about Brett Favre coming back. It doesn’t look good, or even make sense, for the long- term future of the team. The Jets are in a mess at quarterback, not because they made the Favre trade but because they picked a pass-catching tight end at the bottom of the first round instead of Chad Henne, the quarterback from Michigan who went to Miami. I like Dusty Keller as a player, but they needed a quarterback then and they need one now. However, if you ask anyone inside the building, they all seem to be smoking the Brett Ratliff great-player pipe. Let us face it, even though Eric Mangini is gone as head coach, the Pats and Jets are not doing any deals. The Jets have the 17th pick in the first round but they’re going to be tight getting under the cap, and they still have to sign running back Leon Washington. This looks like a good idea on paper, but it probably won’t happen.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS — The Chiefs have all the elements in place to make a deal for Cassel: new offensive-minded coach, new GM (who gets along with the Patriots) and a very high pick. So why won’t it happen? Well, for one, the Chiefs are high on Tyler Thigpen, who played well at times last season. They also might not want to give up the third pick of the NFL draft for a player they may feel is not much better than the one currently on their roster. The Chiefs will hold on to their picks and will be reluctant to part with any of them. GM Scott Pioli knows Cassel as well as anyone and knows what he brings to the table and how he is different from Thigpen, who I’m sure he knows well by now.
SLEEPERS
WASHINGTON REDSKINS — The ‘Skins are going to live and die with their current quarterback, Jason Campbell, and have put the word out that they will not be players in the free-agent market. However, they will need to consider making this move and should do their homework before they dismiss the notion of a trade. Trust me on this, a year from now the ‘Skins will be looking for a quarterback.
CAROLINA PANTHERS — They have too many other issues to fix and don’t have a first-round pick, but they have a huge need. They can’t count on Jake Delhomme much longer.
This is going to be very interesting to watch, but one thing all these teams must do is decide how Cassel compares with the draft class at quarterback. It is that evaluation that will allow teams to make the right decision.
Mike Reiss Boston Globe..
Now the interesting part of the Matt Cassel saga begins. The Patriots, as we told you a month ago, would take this step, but now the drama is about to unfold. Clearly, the Patriots want more than the low third-round compensatory pick they would have received from the NFL. Who will be the major players in this sweepstakes? Here is an educated guess.
THE OBVIOUS TEAMS
DETROIT LIONS — The Lions are in the best position to make this decision. As they evaluate college quarterbacks, they can measure how Cassel compares to the quarterbacks in the draft. They can part with their second first-round pick, 20th overall, and feel like they’ve gotten two blue chip players in the first round. It will cost more than the 20th pick overall, but for the Lions, they must think quality over quantity, and getting two quality players is much better than four good players, especially if one of the quality players is a quarterback. There is a deal here — but first things first. Someone in the Lions’ building must make the determination which player is better, Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez or Cassel.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS — This team, as much as any in the league, needs one more piece to make a significant difference in its roster. Finding a legitimate quarterback was the first order of business when head coach Brad Childress took over, but he has failed so far. With a talented quarterback, the Vikings go from being contenders in the NFC North to Super Bowl contenders. They currently have the 22nd pick in the draft. They could part with that and another second rounder and would be close enough to make a deal. I’m not sure that will be enough to satisfy the Patriots, but they will be in the ballpark. The Vikings have the cap room, the willingness to make a trade (as evidenced by their deal last year to acquire Jared Allen) and a huge need. I would make them the early frontrunners. Childress is on the hot seat, and fixing the quarterback position might help him avoid more heat.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — After seven years of Jon Gruden moving and changing quarterbacks and getting older at the position, the Bucs are now desperate to fix things. They have a huge need and a ton of cap room. They have a mid-level first-round pick (19th overall), a young head coach and a young defense. The time is right to make a bold move and find a long-term answer at quarterback. Matt Ryan (Atlanta) and Drew Brees (New Orleans) are fixtures in the NFC South. The Bucs need to find a fixture, too, and right now they don’t an answer.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS – Who is the 49ers’ quarterback? Are they going to go back to Alex Smith or do they really think Shaun Hill is the answer? The 49ers have to address the quarterback position and find a long-term answer. They have cap room, they have the right pick (10<SUP>th</SUP> overall in the first round) and they have a need. However, I’m not sure anyone in the 49ers building is going to have the fortitude and the will to make this happen. They will convince themselves that Hill can lead the team. But they need to understand that they won all those championships because of the quarterbacks. Maybe the late, great Bill Walsh’s voice will be heard somewhere in the building, reminding the 49ers what made them great.
ST. LOUIS RAMS — Someone in the building gave Marc Bulger a huge contract, and I’m sure that person is gone. But new coach Steve Spagnuolo and new GM Billy Devaney must fix this position before they can think about turning around the team. Bulger might have the money, but he doesn’t solve the long-term problem. The Rams are like the Lions — they have to make their determination of Cassel as he compares to college players. Unlike the Lions, the Rams just have their own high pick, and I doubt they would be willing to make that move. I suspect the Rams will not be strong players in the Cassel market.
CHICAGO BEARS — At some point, the Bears will have to address their quarterback situation. There were times last season when Kyle Orton appeared to have a good handle on things, but after sustaining an ankle injury, he was not the same productive player he was earlier in the year. The Bears need a marquee player on offense, someone they can build around and make all the other pieces fit. They need someone they do not have to manage but who can run a complete offense. The need is there, but I doubt the Bears will be serious players. They have the 18th pick in the first round, but they hate to part with picks.
NEW YORK JETS — Jet fans can forget about Brett Favre coming back. It doesn’t look good, or even make sense, for the long- term future of the team. The Jets are in a mess at quarterback, not because they made the Favre trade but because they picked a pass-catching tight end at the bottom of the first round instead of Chad Henne, the quarterback from Michigan who went to Miami. I like Dusty Keller as a player, but they needed a quarterback then and they need one now. However, if you ask anyone inside the building, they all seem to be smoking the Brett Ratliff great-player pipe. Let us face it, even though Eric Mangini is gone as head coach, the Pats and Jets are not doing any deals. The Jets have the 17th pick in the first round but they’re going to be tight getting under the cap, and they still have to sign running back Leon Washington. This looks like a good idea on paper, but it probably won’t happen.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS — The Chiefs have all the elements in place to make a deal for Cassel: new offensive-minded coach, new GM (who gets along with the Patriots) and a very high pick. So why won’t it happen? Well, for one, the Chiefs are high on Tyler Thigpen, who played well at times last season. They also might not want to give up the third pick of the NFL draft for a player they may feel is not much better than the one currently on their roster. The Chiefs will hold on to their picks and will be reluctant to part with any of them. GM Scott Pioli knows Cassel as well as anyone and knows what he brings to the table and how he is different from Thigpen, who I’m sure he knows well by now.
SLEEPERS
WASHINGTON REDSKINS — The ‘Skins are going to live and die with their current quarterback, Jason Campbell, and have put the word out that they will not be players in the free-agent market. However, they will need to consider making this move and should do their homework before they dismiss the notion of a trade. Trust me on this, a year from now the ‘Skins will be looking for a quarterback.
CAROLINA PANTHERS — They have too many other issues to fix and don’t have a first-round pick, but they have a huge need. They can’t count on Jake Delhomme much longer.
This is going to be very interesting to watch, but one thing all these teams must do is decide how Cassel compares with the draft class at quarterback. It is that evaluation that will allow teams to make the right decision.
Mike Reiss Boston Globe..
