If you were Matt Cassel...

[so im zach]

... what would you wanna do?

Stay with the Patriots, get franchise tag, and be Brady's back-up for this next season?

Go to Vikings, Jets, etc.?

What would you wanna do?

[BigAL]

I'd want to start. no doubt. anywhere, if not you are missing somthing

[smarmy]

franchise players don't back up other players. I heard that Brady needed more surgerys and would be out next year as well, can anyone confirm?

[SBR Lou]

franchise players don't back up other players. I heard that Brady needed more surgerys and would be out next year as well, can anyone confirm?

ESPN reported that Brady has progressed nicely and has even started dropping back and throwing some passes. Report said he should be ready by opening game barring a setback of some kind.

[smarmy]

ESPN reported that Brady has progressed nicely and has even started dropping back and throwing some passes. Report said he should be ready by opening game barring a setback of some kind.

That being the case, why would they put the franchise tag on Cassel? Trade Brady? QB with surgically repaired knees?

[SBR Lou]

That being the case, why would they put the franchise tag on Cassel? Trade Brady? QB with surgically repaired knees?

Keep in mind Brady's only making $60M with them, he took a huge hometown discount, so they can easily afford to have Cassell on board another year just in case. No reason to let him walk and have Brady suffer a setback, but if Brady is ready to go he's the starter without question. And, if Brady has a good year, they can get some good value out of Cassel next year as teams will remember what he's capable of with the right players around him.

[so im zach]

http://blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/2009/01/cassel-franchis.html

If the New England Patriots want to keep Matt Cassel by giving him the franchise tag it will cost the team $14.65 million.


The Boston Globe reports that doing so would make Cassel higher-paid than Tom Brady, who next season is scheduled to have a $5 million base salary and also receive a $3 million roster bonus.


The Globe also says that signing Cassel to a one-year tender with the franchise tag would leave the Patriots designating 24% of their salary cap space to their quarterbacks.


Thursday is the first day teams can designate franchise players, and the Patriots will have until Feb. 19 to make a decision. The franchise tag can be applied to potential free agents, and is an average of the NFL's top five salaries at a given position.


However it works out, it's one more sign of the incredible rise that began for Cassel after Brady's knee injury in the season opener. He was paid only $520,000 this season, and let's not forget that when he took the Patriots' reins expectations for him were nil, and he was the target of scathing satire and sarcasm.

[The General]

If I were Cassel, I would want to play and I would want to start, esp after the talent he displayed last season, but was it the talent of the QB or the system he was in? I know that I have came to respect Coach Billy a lot with the style of game he like to display. I wish every team took the same approach and looked to score as often and early as possible by going down field every time the opportunity presented itself. I sure wish the Colts had coach Billy.

[Panic]

Give me 14 mil to sit on a bench. I'm in.

[jjgold]

Cassell already said he would back up Brady next year

Remember also he is playing with great receivers

[SBR Lou]

Cassell already said he would back up Brady next year

Remember also he is playing with great receivers

He will act like he really wants to start, but he's essentially making a risk free $14,000,000 and he knows no matter what, he'll go somewhere else next year and get paid probably in the $45,000,000 range if not a bit more for a 5 or 6 year deal with some other team in desperate need of a QB.

[Sforz]

smack him with the franchise tag, trade him to KC for draft picks... we had some taken from us for ::cough:: observing other teams

[DaProfessor23]

He already said he wouldn't mind playing back-up for Tom Brady but most likely they will franchise him and trade him to chiefs or vikings . If i was him i would pray Brady gets hurt again so he can start with that amazing offense and have a chance at the playoffs , b/c with or without him chiefs are not making the playoffs next year , and i'm pretty sure thats where he is going .

[slacker00]

If I'm Cassell, I go where the money is. If the Pats do the tag, that's the easiest money anyone's ever made in the NFL.

[fishsteel]

If i'm Cassell I'd shoot myself playing for a bunch of cheaters

[onlooker]

Give me 14 mil to sit on a bench. I'm in.

[tullamore]

Though sitting on the bench and collecting $14 mil would be nice, I much rather have my agent work on a trade to another team where I am most likely to end up with 20+ mil signing bonus. If Cassel sits on the bench who knows where the market for him will be in a year. I want to get the most guaranteed money I can get. Look at Juan Gonzalez he turned down $140 mil, and then had to settle for one year deal. Take the most guaranteed, especially in the NFL.

[Sforz]

If i'm Cassell I'd shoot myself playing for a bunch of cheaters

[Patriot Haters]

[pico]

Give me 14 mil to sit on a bench. I'm in.

i like your way of thinking

[CaneDawg]

go after his girlfriend

[gummo]

Pats couldn't even make the playoffs with him. Why all the hype?

[Sforz]

Pats couldn't even make the playoffs with him. Why all the hype?

kidding me? 11-5 with an equal to or better record than over 58% of the teams that made the post season in the league this year....

plus if you watched him week in and week out you'd know what the hype was about.

[so im zach]

kidding me? 11-5 with an equal to or better record than over 58% of the teams that made the post season in the league this year....

plus if you watched him week in and week out you'd know what the hype was about.

+1

The fact they didn't make playoffs has no validity--they absolutely destroyed Arizona.

[slacker00]

11-5 should earn an automatic playoff berth. Just take away the bye week from the #2 seed. That woulda had the Pats going to Pitts for the wildcard round. Pitts probably woulda won, but still another great game for the fans to watch. Not to mention we can quit wondering "what if".

[Casperwaits]

As a Patriots fan, I would like to see Cassel stay. If I was Cassel, I would most definately look to start somewhere else if I could. On espn radio on Friday, he seemed content on the notion of being Brady's backup. I just feel a true competitor would want to be on the field leading a team.