Cassel Gets Franchise Tag

The New England Patriots played it safe yesterday and slapped the franchise tag on Matt Cassel, guaranteeing the quarterback $14.65 million going into his next season in the NFL (as he is guaranteed the average salary of the top five quarterbacks in the league.) This was a smart move for the Patriots, with Tom Brady’s iffy status looming in the background of draft day decisions. Franchising Cassel will buy the Pats some time before draft day to see how things will work out with Brady, and should the star quarterback be back in action Cassel could be traded rather than paying him the hefty price he has just been guaranteed.

Matt Cassel is still technically a free agent, but the Patriots can now allow a trade with another team in exchange for two first-round draft picks, which could significantly help New England this year as the team is definitely aging. Cassel’s season picked up after Tom Brady was injured in the very first game of the 2008 NFL season, and the former USC backup finished the season with 327 completions in 516 attempts (63.4%), 3,693 total yards and 21 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.
Cassel is the fourth New England Patriot to be franchised, joining the ranks of kicker Adam Vinatieri (2002, 2005), safety Tebucky Jones (2003) and cornerback Asante Samuel (2007).

To get New England Patriots tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on February 6, 2009 - Post a comment