Some of us have been saying this for weeks.

The franchise tag for a QB will be 14 million.

The Pats are projected to be 19 million under the cap from what I have read, not including their free agents.

14 million is a big chunk of money out of that and they would still have to sign their draft picks, and any free agents they want to get OR keep.

All in all, I don't see them keeping Cassell unless they really feel like Brady is done for this upcoming season as well. If they have a better than 50/50 chance in their mind, then Cassell is a goner....IMO.

A twist would be the Pats trading Brady, which sounds ridiculous, but is 'possible'. The Pats just went 11-5 with Cassel. It was his first year, and Brady is supposedly having some issues with the surgery. Belichick is not afraid to cut ties with good players. And, he is arrogant enough to think it is more about him than it is about the players.

Don't think it will happen, but I can see it as a possibility.

Petro tried to start it two weeks ago.

It is more about him than it is about the players.

qft

Lions got the Cowboys first round pick. That could be dealt for Cassel.

i hope no team pays them


it will be funny to see them pay two quarterbacks 10+ a year

That would be awesome, but only happen if it were the Chiefs..

If I were Cassel though and there might be interest out there for me being a starter and getting a 3-5 year contract, I would be signing that shit as soon as the claim got put on me..

I'm wondering if Cassel is worth paying the average of the top 5 QBs in the NFL.

I would think one of the lesser tags could protect their investment without costing so much.


But then again, if the Pats want to tie up that much $ into a guy they hope will be their backup again next season, it won't bother me any.

Doubt it, the transition tag is how we lost Tait I believe.. At least I thought it was Tait..

yep ... we used the transition tag to try and save 2 million in cap space.

it ended up costing us big

transition tag didn't give us nearly as much leverage and no draft picks in compensation.



pats management > chiefs management

LOL

http://www.gbnreport.com/letters.htm

GBN:
What I'm finding very hard to believe is the fact that every site, including yours, is not jumping on the top story of this draft (or related story); and that is the fact that the Patriots will franchise and trade Matt Cassel and grab more picks. Of course I'm a big Patriots fan, but I still think this is relevant to all teams and every draftnik out there, especially the ones in need of a solid #1 QB, and that is approximately 75% of the league...no joke there.

QB is the most important position in all of sports and the draft has proven to be a crap-shoot. So, with a QB available with game film showing 400 yard passing days, 2 minute drills run with perfection (better than any other QB in the League beside Manning and Brady, and a pretty important fact), not to mention he's young, intelligent, can run when necessary, and has trained under the one of the top coaches and top QB's. What more could another team want? And, I've heard the "system QB argument" but that doesn't fly. All good NFL teams have systems that put players in the position to succeed; look at Steve Young going from Tampa Bay to San Francisco, or Jim Plunkett going from a sad-sack old-time Pats' bunch to the Raiders. The list is endless. One needs to be in a winning system to succeed, so you don't exclude a player because they come from a winning system. Cassel can make all the throws and still has more to show.

In fact, I would be tempted to take Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who has interviewed for at least one of the league's vacant head coaching positions, and Cassel together to help make the transition smoother.

I hear people say that they would take any of these college QB's and I can't believe my ears. The guaranteed money alone makes this such a gamble. The league is full of countless top 10 flops, especially at QB including Alex Smith, David Carr, and Joey Harrington etc. There contracts are crippling and you have to give the kids a shot if you take them that high, so your entire organization has to sit back and HOPE this kid becomes a winner. Well, in New England, they 2 quality QBs one of which will be going and it will be Cassel, in my opinion, and he should go ahead of any college QB if anyone has a brain out there.

Here's more of twist for you. How about Detroit over-paying for Cassel by using a trade with New England to get out from under the #1 pick this, but still having a #1 in 2009 the pick they get from Dallas. In fact, I could hear Bill Belichick demanding the 20th pick instead of the #1 pick !

Dan L.