Franchise tag talk & quarterback Matt Cassel

Hey Mike,

If the pat's franchise casell and tie up 29 million with both the quarterbacks what will that mean for us in terms of signing free agents? Or for re-signing some of our marquee players such as wilfork? Also if we trade Cassel before the draft what will be the cap penalty as a result and will that enable us to still sign some good free agents? Thanks for the help!

Hi Imran. I would think it will limit their other moves (e.g. no other big-money signings).
--Mike

You forgot that Asante Samel was franchised in '07.

All I know is Brady might not be ready to go, and Cassel at the very least with the tag on will become great trade bait. Obvious move to make, and worth any $ because this is a Quarterback league.

Don't be so sure they won't be able to free up space either, I'm sure they will. This is going to be a long off-season without the playoff's for this team, and I'm sure Bill has a few ideas.

Mike

Does Kevin O'COnnell have a future with the Patriots?

hi mike,
say bradys knee does not respond and they place him on injured reserve for all next season, would he collect his full salary and would it count against next years cap.

The Franchise Tag in this case will protect the Patriots from having Cassel join the Jets,Bills or Browns..

Mike,

What are the grounds on which the Pats can rescind the tag? At what point does it become non-rescindable?

Thanks.

The salary cap bumps up to 123 mill. That will leave them with plenty of room to sign some free agents, somwhere aroung 94 million. Not too shabby. Never second guess what the pats do, they always seem to be right!

I think Brady will start on the PUP list and probably won't be back until Week 8 or 9, and Cassel will hold it down until then. Depending on what he does in the early season will allow BB to decide which direction to go. I really would have liked to have seen how Cassel responded to the playoffs, but the franchise tag will at least allow the Pats to walk away with something in return. It does limit big signings, but if the Pats can keep the team intact through re-signings I think they still have a quality team. If Brady is back in time for the opener, then whatever needs are leftover could possibly be addressed with a trade. All my opinion I might add

Mike:

Who is likely to be a salary cap target for restructure or release? And, while they might tag Cassel that does not mean that the club won't sign him to a more market oriented contract or wind up doing a trade if Brady looks to be coming into form. What would his market be? I don't see a first but perhaps a second which if so would give them 4 of the top 56 players with another at 88.

They will get faster and cheaper no matter what happens.

positions.

I do not think it would make a huge stopper in tehir desire to sign other players...
Reports I saw today with the raise in the cap # for next year.. even if the Pats had Franchised Cassells they would still have approx. $94mil + to sign all the players other than Cassells & Brady. That is a large amt of money still allowed to be spent.
It would mean that they cannot go out and buy an Uhrlacher or someone of that "NAME" stature... but it would not prevent them from getting a couple quality players. (IMHO)

If the Patriots franchise Matt Cassell and then are able to subsequently trade him for future picks, are there any negative salary cap implications other than the time between February and the trade?

Thanks Joe. I added Samuel on the list of players who have been tagged. Homeless, I think the Patriots are optimistic regarding O'Connell. John Asara, Brady would collect his full salary on injured reserve and would also count against the salary cap. Patspsycho, I believe they can rescind it at any time, but am not 100 percent sure on that. Once Cassel signs the tag, you can't rescind it. It is guaranteed at the time he signs it. Rob, in terms of players targeted for restructure or release, I'll need some more time on that one. Richard Seymour has a $9m cap hit, so he was an initial thought. I don't think they'd release him, so it would have to be a restructure. Jeff, there would be no negative ramifications once the trade was consummated, as that approximate $14m figure would come off the cap.
--Mike

Mike:

Since you don't have as much to do at this point compared with previous seasons can you start looking at cap issues and where they might save, what Cassel would command as a pick, what teams he could fit into and also some sense on what the upcoming draft will be in terms of quality and opportunities? Trading Cassel for a 2nd would allow the Pats to grab 2 DBs and another LB which would give them a very fast secondary and certainly a speedier LB corps. Get a TE who can catch the ball and a good 3/4 WR and this team is ready to rumble.

In response to Matt--

If Brady's on the PUP list that long, and the Patriots ask Cassel to hold down the fort, by the time Brady comes off the list, the Patriots will be stuck with Cassel for the rest of the season.

The real question is whether or not the Patriots think O'Connell can hold down the fort if Brady isn't ready to start the season.

That will be a good one Rob. Thanks for the suggestion.
--Mike

I think people are making too much of Cassel. In the preseason, he was awful.
he cannot throw deep accurately. He does not hit the tightends. If he did not have Welker, he would have looked awful. Most other teams are going to notice this and not waste a first round on him.

I'd like to give more credit to the ability of management to assess the health of pro athletes. For whatever the reason, teams consistently sign formerly great players who are recovering from cripling injuries..such as Brady's knee. There is NO WAY Brady will ever be even close to his pre-2008. The knee aside, where is his head and heart at?

Sign Cassel to 3-4 years at a lower cost than a tag and get on with reality.

Hey Mike, I think franchising Cassel was obviously the right move! His play this year clearly showed he's capable of playing at the nfl level and he will certainly draw interest from teams looking to upgrade at the most important position on the field. My question is who are the likely suiters for Cassel and what type of compensation do you think we can expect to receive for him? There's no way any team is going to give away a 1st and a 2nd pick and then sing him to a $10-$12 million dollar per yr contract. I'm thinking a high 2nd round pick is all we're likely to receive. Your thoughts?

Matt Cassell is no Tebucky Jones

Mike Lombardi was offering an opinion of what he thinks the Pats will do but Chris Mortensen seems to be saying that the Pats will franchise Cassel. I think the Pats HAVE to franchise Cassel, there is no way around it. Whether they would like to keep the kid in case Brady is fully healthy is truly an irrelevant point. They would be doing their team a big disservice if they did not franchise him. QB's are worth lots of draft picks and there are lots of team out there willing to pay handsomely to acquire themselves a good one. The Pats should be able to acquire at least a 1st Rd pick, WR Roy Williams and DE Jared Allen fetched multiple picks (a 1st, 3rd, 6th and 7th for Williams and a 1st, 3rd and swap of 6's for Allen) for their former teams and people actually think that a QB wouldn't at least get you back a 1st in return. The Pats should be asking for multiple picks in this year's draft if they do decide to trade Cassel. QB's are the league's #1 commodity and the Pats could really set themselves up nicely by acquiring some early round picks to build up the defense and give themselves flexibility on draft day.

As a a previous poster, Luke, wrote $94 mil is a lot to be able to fill out your roster with and there are plenty of way you can massage the #'s to fit players under the cap IF YOU REALLY WANT TO as a team. By the way, Peyton Manning alone will count slightly over $21 mil on next year's cap for the Colts.

As far as next year's cap goes, Moss is at $10.5 mil, Seymour is at $9.8 mil as mentioned, Adalius Thomas is at $6.4mil, Matt Light is at $5.7 mil, Mike Vrabel at $4.4 mil, Kevin Faulk will be at $4 mil, Jarvis Green at $3.5 mil, Stepehen Neal at $3.4mil, and Bruschi at $2.7 mil. Seymour, Vrabel, Faulk, Neal and Bruschi are all in their last year of their deals so they could be extended and their cap hits lessened or the Pats could simply choose to release some of them (probably only applies to Bruschi).

For people saying teams will not give a 1st for matt cassel and pay 10-12 million per year, isn't that what teams with the top picks in the draft do every year. Jamarcus Russel, Vince Young, Alex Smith, Eli Manning, Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Byron Leftwich.
All were top 10 picks since 2003, some have been successful, others have not. When you have a successful qb in the league, teams are willing to pay for it versus gambling on chance.

Well, I think Brady will be back for the reg. season and we will trade Cassell for some really good talent. for the rest of the team, we need to address defense and that's pretty much it. Pats all the way next year!!!

Who is the "capologist" these days? Is Scott P. still calling the shots even though he is running around trying to get a gig elsewhere?

This move won't necessarily signify anything about Brady's health. As I've been saying on message boards since early November. The Patriots are going to franchise Cassel, and they can use Brady's health as a legit excuse, so there's no grievance if they end up trading him..

Here's how I think it's going to unfold:

1. Patriots currently have around 21 million in CAP space, not counting CAP credits and escalator adjustments (Should be close to a wash). Look for that number to climb to approximately 31 million after a few suprise cuts (Jarvis Green 3.8mil?, Tedy Bruschi 2.7mil?, Kelley Washington or Sam Aiken 1mil?), and extensions that lower a players 2009 CAP hit (example- Richard Seymour and Kevin Faulk).

2. The approximate 31 million will then be reduced to around 22 million after the Patriots resign key players like a Heath Evans or Lamont Jordan, Russ Hochstein, Lonnie Paxton, Chris Hanson, Mike Wright, Larry Izzo, Pierre Woods, possibly Tank Williams or Lewis Sanders, and maybe even Rosie Colvin for depth..

3. Franchising Cassel will cost (temporarily) about 14mil. Leaving the Patriots with about 8 mil in CAP space for signing their draft picks and a veteran CB/Safety (Kelvin Hayden of Colts is available, and Colts have CAP problems even if they release Marvin Harrison!)

4. Once Brady is cleared to play, Patriots eliminate Cassel's CAP figure by trading him. Possibly before the draft which would free up even more money for FA, but probably sometime before summer camp. A chunk of the cleared 14 million will then be used to extend Wilfork, Mankins, and possibly another player. The remaining 8 million or more will be used to fill out the roster with other NFL team's pre-season cuts, make a deal for a disgruntled field extending WR!! (there's always a couple), and the business as usual emergency in season signings..

Buffalo and the Jets could both really use Cassel. If we can fleece them in a deal, I'd say do it.

I look at Carson Palmer as the model of what Brady will be like when he returns. The Pats should sign Cassel instead of franchising him and cut Brady if he isn't good anymore. It would be consistent with the Patriots way of doing business.

Matt Cassel is a Patriot type Quarterback. He will not shine in anyone's scheme. Franchise him and trade to SF to be closer to his family. Tom Brady is going to be ready for training camp. Not like last year' where he wasn' t ready to go through training camp. This year he is going to prove what a great QB he is.(better than Peyton)

Matt Cassel is a Patriot type Quarterback. He will not shine in anyone's scheme. Franchise him and trade to SF to be closer to his family. Tom Brady is going to be ready for training camp. Not like last year' where he wasn' t ready to go through training camp. This year he is going to prove what a great QB he is.(better than Peyton)

Sportsbozo is right, the Patriots have to franchise Cassel to keep him away from the Jets. Cassel, his agent and the Patrtiots will have enough time to work out a fair trade for some high draft pick or picks? This way Cassel and his future team will have exclusive rights to negotiate a new contract.

What happen to my last comment?

Good idea. Obviously I hope Tom comes back okay, but they need Matt as an insurance. Give him a good salary increase - he deserves it. He proved himself. It was a fluke the Pats did not make the playoffs with an 11-5 record.

Hard to compare Cassell's first year stats to Brady's like ESPN frequently does. Cassell has many more weapons than Brady did his first year. I hope Brady will be back and will be fine. We owe a great amount of our success to Tom.

The money for Cassel in 2009 will be used to resign Wilfork and Mankins in 2010. So it makes sense to try and trade Cassel for draft picks this off-season. With the Patriots having an extra second round pick from San Diego, look for the Pats to trade Cassel to a team for high draft picks in 2010 and a team where their coaches are on the hot seat in 2009 and are forced to win (Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Minnesota). Those teams would be psyched to get Cassel in 2009 for a 2010 first round pick.

I think the reports are simply idle chatter. Bellichik and Pioli are the only two who would make that decision. Does anyone believe they are talking to Chris Mortenson?

Personally, Brady's head or heart is not on football anymore. The guy has done everything you could ask of a QB. He has fame, fortune, and a hot g/f (fiancee?). I think Brady will be gone when is contract is up (2010?). I think he'd really like to be out on the west coast. Of course I could be totally wrong...lol.

patscap.com for all you looking for Patriots cap information. Still run by the same "capologist" who's been doing it for years.

As for Cassel, it might be harder than usual to gain interest on a trade when the Pats don't have the option of keeping him. And no, there's ZERO option of keeping Cassel on the roster as a $14M backup. Besides, they didn't spend a 3rd round pick on Kevin O'Connell for nothing.

If they want to get something for him, they'd better hope for two teams to get into a bidding war. Or for Daniel Snyder to get involved.

Hello Mike,
If Cassel get Franchise tag, can pats still trade him? I heard somewhere that, franchise tag player can not be traded. Can you please shed some light on this

Thanks

Cassell should get the f-tag.then around august when we should know about Brady's knee, shop both of them around for the best deal which should include
a veteran back up qb as we cannot count on O'Connell to follow in the Tom/Matt mode of stepping up that early in his career.
By my count there are quite a few teams who would jump at this opportunity to pick up a top qb,namely the three others in our division,Tampa
Bay,San Fran,Kansas City,Chicago,Washington and maybe Carolina,Tennesse
or crazy Jerry in Dallas.... Unfortunately I don't think we are going to know about
Brentwood Toms health that soon..Hope I'm wrong.

toms health that soon

bout Toms health to pull this off..hope not

mike what about the peter king report earlier this year that said the players assoc could block cassel from being franchised because the patriots were only intending to trade him.is this still a possibility?

Hey Mike:
Would you risk being crippled and taking pain killers for life from an injury like Tom Brady's? Does it really make sense to a sensible man? Tom has a life in the off season. Should he risk that? I care more for Brady, the person, than Brady the QB. His misery since his injury should tell him how fragile a knee he has. Moreover, what superhuman goes into a game, having been very seriously injured and has all thoughts of reinjury just pass out of his mind? None. Tom Brady should retire. For goodness sake. I don't want him sacrificing his future for a game. Patriot fans know better.

Cassel had a great year, but I honestly think the "system" was a great benefit in his progress. I agree with Gick, trade Cassel and get the picks.

Very, very difficult situation. I, for one, am not sold that Cassel is a tru front line NFL quarterback. He fit in with this particular team and with the talent he had to work with, at the WR slot.

That is one reason why I dont believe he would be very successful with other teams. He does have some huge limitations for an NFL quarterback.

Credit to him, though, for what he did accomplish, and maybe the year of play will make him better.

All that being said, with the recovery of Brady uncertain, the Pats are really in a bad situation, not knowing what to expect regardng the Brady injury.

I would hope that they would work real hard at coming to some sort of arrangement with Cassel, not frnchise him, and still retain his services. That, however, might be way too much to ask for.

Personally, I believe that Cassel does owe something to the Pats for retaining him on the rost for the three years. Lets be honest, with his weak performances, there probably would not have been one NFL team willing to take a chance on him.

The Pats have made him, a potential millionaire. He should really consider that.

Mike,

Do you think there is a team out there that, if they sense the Patriots are working on trade deals for Cassell, will simply sign him and give up the two first round picks and not trade for him?

Thanks. Jim

Mike, great report. Question: Is there any other scenario that you see developing re: Cassel and the Patriots other than franchise/free agency? A contract extension, perhaps, knowing Cassel will succeed Brady when he retires? I ask because it seems to me that the Pats thought Cassel was good enough to back Brady for three years, and they stuck with him through a rocky preseason, so maybe they believe in him? Cassel has clearly stated his preference to be with the Pats. Also, having followed these boards for a while, I know that many thought the season would be lost if Brady went down and, lo and behold, he did. Playoffs notwithstanding, I thought Cassel did a great job and delivered a great season. Could those saying Brady could/would never be replaced be wrong?

Mike
Can you please accurately forecast the following, would appreciate it if you could do it by tomorrow. Thanks.
1. Brady's health for 2009
2. casssel's future with the patriots
3. Pioli's future with the patriots
4. mcdaniel's future with the patriots
5. pat's 2009 free agents signings
6. 2009 draft selections (including those that will win awards for pat's)

Several blogs have reported that Brady is retiring in late Feb. Not sure if I believe it, but they say the franchise tag for Cassel is only a safety net so they can work out a long term (8 year?) deal.

Once Brady announces his intentions after the Super Bowl, Cassel's megabucks deal will come into focus.

I'd like to give more credit to the ability of management to assess the health of pro athletes. For whatever the reason, teams consistently sign formerly great players who are recovering from cripling injuries..such as Brady's knee. There is NO WAY Brady will ever be even close to his pre-2008. The knee aside, where is his head and heart at?

Sign Cassel to 3-4 years at a lower cost than a tag and get on with reality.

Dear Mike,

Say they trade Cassel, how would this affect the re-signing of other players (i.e. Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, Ellis Hobbs)

I see Richard Seymour as the eventual odd-man out on the D line. He had 8 sacks this year but I don't see how they can pay Wilfork, Warren, AND Seymour huge money on the D line. Seymour is the oldest and has had a lot of injuries. They are going to need to bring in the next big pass rusher becasue, if they don't, they will continue to get beat deep. No matter who is at corner.

How about Cassell to Detroit for their 2nd round pick and switching their 20th pick in 1st Rd for Pats #24. It gets Cassell out of Division to a non-contender and puts Pats in great shape for good players at cap friendly salaries.

There's obviously no way both Brady and Cassell will be on the opening day roster. One of them's getting dealt. Other teams know this. So, no one's going to give up too much for Cassell. The Patriots are just hoping there's one dumb GM out there who will bite on a Patriots' bluff.

I'll believe it when I see it, not when some guy speculates on a pregame show what he would do if he were in the Pat's shoes or that he's talked to "friends in the organization." And anyone who doubts a healthy Brady and prefer Cassel should just get off the bandwagon right now. How soon they forget. There are a lot of good skilled QB's out there - I'm watching McNabb right now. Very very good - but not championship calibre. Brady is tried and true, 3 times over. Be grateful for what you have while you have it. Pats aren't about being competitive and getting the the playoffs, they are about winning it all. Peyton Manning even proved again last night he's not in Brady's category. Let's just pray that franchising Cassel is not a sign that Brady is not healing right.

If I were Cassel and the Patriots traded me to a dead end team like Detroit. I would be very mad that they took the decision out of my hands and stuck me with a horrible team.

Brady is NOT going to retire. That's wishful thinking for the Pats' opponents. Don't believe that the Pats will open the season with both Brady and Cassel on the roster. To get maximum leverage, they need to assume some risk and make their decision sooner rather than later. They can get a 1st (and more) if they get rid of Cassel early in the offseason, early enough for him to learn his new team's system. A team is not going to break the bank for him once the season starts.

Get used to O'Connell--he's the insurance policy.

Mike,
It seems to me I remember Brady saying years ago that he would not necessarily play a long time in the NFL....that he had other things to do in life. Do you think it is possible that he wants just one more year to see if he can get a 4th ring and then call it quits and therefore the Pats want to tag Cassel to save him for after next year?

Remember that no one will trade for Cassel unless they can sign him to a long term contract. So, Cassel will be able to control where he goes by refusing to sign a reasonable contract with a team like Detroit. Cassel will need to agree to terms before the deal is made.

soon Minnesota offers a first and 2nd for Cassel

Mike,

How would applying the "Tag" to Cassel effect the resigning of Wilfork? As we all know, Wilfork is the most important player on this already hurting defensive group. I've got to believe that the Pats FO has a very good idea of where TBs' recovery is at , at all times!

That would mean the Patriots would have about $29 million in salary cap space tied up in two quarterbacks, with Brady earning almost $15 million and Cassel guaranteed over $14 million.

However, the cap jumps to $123 million per team, which gives the Patriots $94 million to manage the rest of their roster.

So it's nait as bad as we think...there will be $$$ for some FA's

GO PATS

Mike,
Can you explain exactly how franchise tag works? Does Cassel have any control in this situation? Or once the tag is placed does he get whatever patriots decide he gets? For example if he wanted to stay with pats could he? I thought I read that if Cassel signed tender (???) then he would stay with Patriots for the year. I should know this by know but it still confuses me!
Thanks

If Brady retires, or does not recover from the injury, I hate to say this, but I don't see Matt Cassel as the answer.

With appreciation for what he accomplished this season, and for the gutsy performance he gave us, and the team, I still do not believe he is truly a bona fide NFL quality starting quarterback. He lacks some very important, and required skills.

That being said, I have no freaking idea what the answer, or right thing to do, is.

This is a very, very difficult situation.

In addition, I believe they need to make sure the re-sign Lamont Jordan.

If they do that, they have some decent trade material in Laurence Maroney. The RB situation would be ok if Jordan re-signs along with Morris, Faulk still has a year left, and with the kid BenJarvis Ellis Green or whatever the heck his name is. and Heath Evans.
At WR, I would not let Gaffney go. He is under rated and can be a decent contributor.

But the QB thing is a major problem. I really dont believe Matt Cassel is the answer.
And, as a final note, Let McDaniels go. This team needs a more experienced OC and one that has the ability, and willingness, to make 2nd half adjustments and changes, on the fly.

Mike,

If I understand the rules of Franchising a player, the Patriots could be in a little jam if they franchise Cassel.

I believe the rule states that a team must be negotiating a long term contract in good faith before applying the franchise tag to a player. Can you confirm that understanding?

If thats true, would the Pats actually negotiate a long term deal for Cassel? I'm not saying they would keep him, but if they want to control him to the point that he gets the Pats some return and doesn't go into the division, they may need to do that.

Steve

Watching Asante Samuel today underlined the fact that we would probably be in the playoffs had we kept him .No question our weakest area was the secondary, and he certainly had proved his worth there and could have made a huge difference.When I see Mr. Kraft investing millions in Patriot-Place, the CBS Hotel, etc., I start to have some doubts about his priorities....let's hope he doesn't start to short-change the football team...we've got to make sure there are no more Asante-type mistakes ( and don't tell me about the salary cap...other teams seem to work around it, as we do when necessary )

My goodness...so many reports about franchising Cassel, Brady retiring, either QB being traded...and on and on. Why even worry about it?? Just watch and see what happens. Have none of you learned anything since BB arrived in New England? He is the best and he, along with the the rest of the football operation, is going to do what's best for the team! So whatever the Pats do, I trust they will make sound decisions and we fans will have an excellent team out on the field in 2009 and beyond. Just watch and enjoy....but please don't whine if the Pats make a move that seems "questionable" at first.....just trust in BB.

Steve in Florida

Send us Matt C. We need a qb who can manage a game!

I would think that Cassell is at least worth what Dallas gave up for Roy Williams. I think the pats asking price should start with 1st,3rd and 6th round pick. Ideally Detroit would be the trading partner because they would pay a lot less for qb through a trade than through number 1 draft pick. That way they are trading Roy Williams for Matt Cassell.

Hi Mike!

How does the 2010 capless season impact restructuring contracts? Does this factor into the looming free agency pool?

thanks

I always thought Samuel was overrated and just went for the interception versus playing good defense. The Viking QB today was lousy and the interception he made today was no exception. I believe Kraft/Pats did the right thing in letting him walk. I think they have some good young players in the secondary and will be better there next year. However, they do need someone to step and be "a beast" on defense that can intimidate. I notcied the Ravens have a few palyers that intimidate and the Eagles have some as well.The Pats lost that w/ Harrison and will need to replace that next year, whether in the secondary or at LB. ,

I've never seen a more demanding, gullible, and whiny list of posters.

-Don't tell Mike Reiss how to do his job. I've got no problems with a question here and there, but when posters start telling him what he should research and posting lists of questions they want answered it's more than a bit ridiculous.

-The "Brady isn't going to be the same" and "Brady is going to retire" talk come from people who don't want to see Brady back (ex: fans of other teams) and paranoid pessimists. There's no good reason for him to retire. And as far as his injury status, the Patriots are notorious for disinformation concerning minor injuries, why would you believe you have any clue about their biggest injury ever?

Mike, excellent work, keep it up, and ignore the majority of these nitwits. You're by far the best NFL reporter I've come across.

I disagree with the notion that franchising Cassel gives the Pats a lot of trade leverage. After all, he's still a free agent at the end of next year, and 14 mil is a lot of money, so either the Pats are going to have to eat a lot of $$$ in exchange for those draft picks, or there won't be enough left on the plate. I mean, who else is going to give us $14 million PLUS a bunch of good draft picks for Cassel? You guys are dreaming if you think he's worth that much in trade.

IF the Patriots franchise Cassel (and at this point that's a big IF), it will mean one thing in my opinion -- that Brady is not going to be ready by the beginning of next season. Cassel is an expensive insurance policy for the Pats, but you gotta have insurance. If Brady were truly healthy, I think the Pats would just let Cassel walk, because they aren't going to get anything of value for him. Now go ahead and prove me wrong, Coach...

Samuel should've caught the ball in the Super Bowl! Tyree never would have made the cover of Sports Illustrated! Samuel was all about his money and not the team!

i think asante did well today but overall he wasn't worth the money but obviously an upgrade if we did retain his services. It was really bad luck that we lost brady... if we had him asante wouldnt be a talking point since we would be outscoring many teams to cover up our bad secondary.

Cassel should remember that the Patriots MADE HIM !! not the other way around,he is the one who should be begging to comeback, if he goes to another team he will probably be like scott mitchell.

to oldeli....while I'm in some agreement with your comments, I must say I have a problem with: "Watching Asante Samuel today underlined the fact that we would probably be in the playoffs had we kept him" I'd like to replace your comment above with: If Assante Samuel had intercepted that Eli Manning pass at the sideline, during the winning Giants' drive, the Patriots would have earned their 4th championship, and an immortal 19-0 record". So don't get too teary eyed about Assane Samuel leaving the Patriots.

So don

the signing bonus is what would count against the cap if we were to trade that particular player. Since there is no signing bonus involved with a franchised player then nothing counts against the cap if they are traded.

That is my understanding.

Here's an interesting scenario - Cassel stays and fights for the #1 QB spot. You just never know how a player will react coming off an injury, and Cassel just might feel like fighting for the job

Ya can't have a team of millionaires and a no QB. (It ruins the whole investment.) Brady is no longer injury-free...talk to us, after he plays through it all. Until then, the insurance policy (i.e. Cassel) is quite expensive...maximum drag!

"I believe the rule states that a team must be negotiating a long term contract in good faith before applying the franchise tag to a player. Can you confirm that understanding?"

There's a rule that says negotiations must be conducted in good faith, but no rule requiring specifically that negotiations take place at all for franchised players. (The CBA could have required them, or require that both sides sign affidavits or what not, but it did not.) After all, the Raiders basically dumped the exclusive franchise tag on Asomugha last year, and are probably going to do the same this year.

Kraft should slip Cassel a nice "cash-bonus" off the record, in exchange for him accepting a nice contract deal to stay with the Patriots.
If Brady ends up recovering well & plays as before, Cassel has a cushy job as a decent-paid clip-board holder.
If Brady ends up going down, Matt will be prepared to take the reigns again.
If Brady isn't ready to go, Cassel will already be in place.
Regardless of any scenario - Cassel's best chance for a 2009 Ring is still probably by remaining a Patriot.
If Kraft & the Patriots offer Matt a "deal he can't refuse" (even if some of it is hidden) why would he want to go elsewhere to start from scratch on a system he knows nothing about? And that's not even considering he'd probably be going to a team that would be a lot further from a Ring than staying in New England.

reply to post #47 - hey Mike, think you could take care of a few things for me...by tommorrow?

walk my dog
pick up his crap
sniff his crotch
get me a coffee
change my car oil
slam the hood on your neck

the last request is just to confirm your idiocy, in thinking Mr. Reiss actually has nothing better to do than accomodate stupidity like yours.
Get a life mikey & leave the boards to those with a clue...geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh

Unless you are under the asumption Jerry Jones or Al Davis is going to be interested in trading for Cassel, don't get your hopes up for anything better than a 2nd round pick packaged with a 4th or 5th. If you subtract all Welker's YAC (yards after catch), Cassel is a very average QB and will never take a team to a SB, unless the D plays like the Ravens. Pats fans, that hissing sound is the air coming out of your franchise. Welcome back to the pack of average. Hopefully you have those SB's on DVR, cause you won't be getting any before you draft another Brady.

All of the discussions I have seen so far have ignored a very important variable in the equation. Everyone is focusing on the best and worst case scenarios for the Pats, which makes sense in a way because they must make the next move. However, the Pats have to get inside Cassel's head, and try to anticipate his response to the various scenarios that the Pats can trigger in the next weeks. Look two or three moves ahead, in other words. Clearly, from Cassel's perspective, making big bucks as the starting QB for the Lions or the Vikings or (gulp) the Jets would be very nice. However, the real home run, which may or may not be achievable, is to be the long term starting QB for the Pats. And his only true "lose" scenario is signing on as a free agent to the Lions or their ilk, and then seeing Guterrez or O'Connel take the brass ring in Foxboro after Brady turns out to be a no go or even a never go. Even though in ordinary circumstances a free agent will decide to test the water, rather than signing a one year contract with a "no franchise tag" clause on the end, maybe Cassel could be tempted to do so in the hopes that, if Brady is delayed in coming back, comes back in less than optimal shape, or never comes back, Cassel would get the helm of a perennial Super Bowl contender rather than a dog team that will never see the playoffs in our lifetime.

I'd like to point out here that everyone doing the math and coming out with 94 million in cap room is seriously mistaken. It would be fine if we were starting a new franchise today and had no one under contract but there are deals in place now and for the future. There's some good banter on here on how we can manouevre the 20-30 million cap space we do have but either way I can't think of that much money being tied up in one position in a long time maybe ever.

With a year to go (OK 9 months) what's wrong with Brady giving us an update on his knee? It's not like we're playing next week and we're conceeding a competitive edge to anyone. I think even though the Pats play it close to the vest it would be harmless to let us know what's going on don't you? It's been 4 full months since the injury.

"I mean, who else is going to give us $14 million PLUS a bunch of good draft picks for Cassel? You guys are dreaming if you think he's worth that much in trade."

I think you're somewhat confused. If Cassel is traded, that $14 million would come from his new team, not the Patriots. Presumably that $14 million would never happen anyway as the trade would like hinge on Cassel negotiating a long term deal with his new team. There's no scenario where Cassel gets traded for draft picks and $14 million cash.

Re: Post #57, I can't find the article, but about a year or two ago, Brady said exactly the opposite about how long he wants to play. I remember him saying that he would seriously love to play past age 40.

Re: Post #84 and a few others -- It would not benefit Cassel financially if he sits on the bench while Brady starts. In fact, it could cost him millions in the long run. His value right NOW might be higher than it will ever be. After a year on the bench, teams will not be as willing to pay him the big bucks. Would you rather have a one-year contract for $14 million or a 6-year contract for $72 million? Of course, it's a moot point, because I seriously doubt that the Patriots would carry both contracts for the full season.

This idea a few people have floated about keeping Cassel until Week # 7 or 8 (or whenever Brady is at full strength) and THEN trading him -- isn't there a trading deadline sometime in early October? Also, once you've kept the guy for that long, is there really any benefit to the Patriots in freeing up salary cap room at that point in the season? By then, you've already signed your draft picks and all the good free agents are long gone, and you can't make a trade.

Cassel will not be on the roster come opening day. Period.

Theres no scenario that will include the Patriots carrying 29M worth of cap at one position. It just won't happen.

Cassel will be moved to any of a number of teams desperate at that position.

cassel has it made= 12m to start as qb for the best team of all time. then get traded and be hero for some other team.he'll still probably make over 10m as there permenant starter.

Suppose Brady is on PUP.
Is there an insurance policy that pays his salary? I would think there would be, on premier players. If so, this has implications on keeping Cassell. What are your speculations about this?
As a matter of history, 49er backups Grbac and Bono both got rich contracts as a result of backup performances on a great team. I tend to think Cassell is both more proven and more talented than those men, but it may not be reasonable to think he can turn around a weaker franchise.

That guy that listed out things for Mike to do tomorrow is a dousche.

Wow, Pats fans are amazing. Brady and a few WRs are the only thing keeping the team worth mentioning. The defense is old and prideless, the coach is no longer a genious now that he has stoped cheating (great system) and the running game is weak. You owe everything to Brady and people seem to want to sweep him under the rug. May God have mercy on your souls. Also the game means more to Brady than his health.