Cassel Accepts Franchise Tag

Not that we thought he would turn down a $14 million pay raise, but it is official: Matt Cassel has accepted a franchise tender from the New England Patriots. The quarterback and his representative sent a signed formal letter to the league over the weekend accepting the non-exclusive franchise tag and one-year price of $14.65 million, making Cassel one of the top-paid players in the game. What this franchise tag means for Matt Cassel is a guaranteed salary no matter where he ends up next season, but what it means for the Patriots is even more pivotal.

Should Cassel stay with the Pats for next season in the case that Tom Brady isn’t fully recovered from his injury in time to start, the Patriots will have spent a whopping $29.27 million of the team’s entire $123 million salary on the two quarterbacks, leaving little room to pave the way for new players with the draft and trades. This almost certainly means that New England is looking to trade one of these prized quarterbacks, and fingers are pointing to 26-year-old Cassel to be the one to go. The only thing holding Cassel back with his franchise tender? The fact that he can’t shop himself around anymore, as deals involving his trade will have to be done strictly through the Patriots.

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