Pats Trade Cassel to Chiefs
UPDATED (4:06 p.m.)...
The New England Patriots have traded quarterback Matt Cassel, who thrived as their starter this past season filling in for the injured Tom Brady, to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Patriots sent Cassel and veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel to Kansas City for the Chiefs' second-round selection in the NFL draft in April, the two teams announced. It's the 34th overall choice in the draft.
The trade is contingent upon Cassel and Vrabel passing physicals, according to the Chiefs.
"I have a long history with both players," Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioli said in a written statement released by the club. "Mike and Matt are men that I respect both personally and professionally. I look forward to having them as new members of the Chiefs family."
Cassel presumably will take over as the starter in Kansas City, and the move seemingly signals that the Patriots are comfortable that Brady will be fully healthy next season after missing almost all of this past season because of a knee injury suffered in the opening game.
"It is very easy to root for guys like Matt Cassel, who do everything the right way and flourish as a result," Patriots Coach Bill Belichick said in a written statement released by the club. "As much as we would have loved to continue working with Matt, we wish him nothing but the best as he takes this next step forward in his career."
The Patriots had used their franchise player tag to retain the rights to Cassel--but only long enough, as it turns out, to trade him. He's being brought to Kansas City by Pioli, the former front office chief for the Patriots recently hired as the GM of the Chiefs.
The Chiefs still have the third overall pick in the draft. It had seemed likely that they would use that selection on a quarterback, perhaps Matthew Stafford of Georgia if he'd been available.
Instead, Pioli is bringing in a slightly more proven quarterback in Cassel, who turns 27 in May. Cassel had attempted only 39 regular season passes in three NFL seasons when Brady got hurt in the opener. The former seventh-round draft choice hadn't even been a starter in college at USC, where he played behind Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart.
But he played like a seasoned pro in place of Brady, passing for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns this past season. He threw 11 interceptions and had a passer rating of 89.4, 10th-best in the NFL. The Patriots went 11-5 and barely missed the playoffs.
Cassel was eligible for unrestricted free agency this week but the Patriots used their franchise tag to limit his mobility. That move guaranteed Cassel a salary of $14.651 million for next season. It's likely, however, that the Chiefs will negotiate a longterm contract with Cassel in conjunction with the trade.
It already had been known that Pioli was adding Vrabel, who'd confirmed to the Boston Globe on Friday that he was being traded to the Chiefs. That sparked speculation within the league that Cassel also was headed to Kansas City, either as part of the Vrabel trade or in a different one.
"When Mike arrived in 2001, we knew we were adding a solid outside linebacker," Belichick said in his written statement. "But where Mike took it from there exceeded our highest hopes. Mike Vrabel epitomizes everything a coach could seek in a professional football player: toughness, intelligence, playmaking, leadership, versatility and consistency at the highest level. Behind the scenes, Mike's wit and personality is one of the things we have all enjoyed about coming to work every day.
"The toughest aspect of my job is the day I stop coaching people like Mike, who did everything in his power to contribute to team success. Of all the players I have coached in my career, there is nobody I enjoyed working with more than Mike. In the same way people recognize guys like Troy Brown, we appreciate and thank Mike Vrabel. He is one of the very special Patriots champions."
Now Cassel becomes the centerpiece of Pioli's rebuilding effort in Kansas City as Pioli and the coach that he hired, Todd Haley, try to reverse the fortunes of a team that went 2-14 this past season. Haley is a respected offensive coach who helped the Arizona Cardinals reach the Super Bowl this past season as their offensive coordinator.
Brady, the Patriots' three-time Super Bowl winner, reportedly underwent surgery for torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee following his injury, suffered in a game against the Chiefs. He developed an infection in his knee following his initial surgery, prompting speculation that his original surgery might have to be redone and he might not be ready for next season.
But recent indications have been that Brady's rehabilitation is back on schedule and he has indicated publicly that he expects to be ready for training camp in the summer. The Patriots seem confident of that, given that they now have gotten rid of their insurance policy by trading Cassel. Brady's backup now could be young quarterback Kevin O'Connell.
By
Mark Maske
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February 28, 2009; 1:26 PM ET
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Chiefs
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Patriots
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Posted by: jerkhoff | March 1, 2009 12:05 AM
Are they CRAZY? They're sure Tom B. is coming back at his best? If not I'm sure fans will try and reenact The Boston Tea Party!
Posted by: lnyk | February 28, 2009 8:45 PM
Due to the Chiefs' poor season, it's not just a 2nd round draft pick. It's the 34th pick in the draft. If Thigpen isn't the future, it's a good move for both teams and both players. Win win win win.
BB
Posted by: FairlingtonBlade | February 28, 2009 5:13 PM
I, too, am quite surprised these two excellent players only yielded a single 2nd round pick. If this had been the Redskins, we would have given away at least 3 picks for these two guys, including perhaps a first-rounder.
Guess we'll soon see whose personnel genius propelled New England-- Belichick's or Pioli's.
Posted by: drischord | February 28, 2009 4:54 PM
yeah i'm a little surprised too, towards the end of the season Thigpen actually did a decent job. He got me a decent amount of fantasy points.
Posted by: tipsytom | February 28, 2009 4:13 PM
Both for a just 2nd round pick? I would have expect 2 picks, but it is still a shrewd move on the Pats part since it clears up all that $14 million cap space from Cassel's franchise tag.
Posted by: ozpunk | February 28, 2009 4:09 PM
Thats kinda sad, Tyler Pigpen had a pretty productive season I thought they would rebuild around him.
Posted by: ozpunk | February 28, 2009 2:16 PM
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Tom Brady will be back this year, and he will be better than ever...