The Cassel situation

The Patriots' free-agent plan is connected to one of the more compelling stories in recent team history -- the future of Matt Cassel, who is scheduled to earn $14.6m after being assigned the franchise tag. Can the Patriots afford to keep him? Between Cassel's $14.6m salary cap charge, and Tom Brady's $14.6m salary cap charge, the team has approximately 20-25 percent of its salary cap tied up between two players at the same position. That could limit the Patriots' ability to be financially aggressive in free agency.