long article but bolded parts mention Cassel's contract #s.
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/02/15...ectations.html
Mon, Feb. 15, 2010 10:52 PM
Chiefs’ Cassel has expectations as high as his salary
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Chiefs coach Todd Haley (right) says he is encouraged about where quarterback Matt Cassel is and about where the team is on offense.
Todd Haley watched the Super Bowl with the idea that someday Matt Cassel will take the Chiefs where Drew Brees and Peyton Manning carried their teams.
“I can see him in that role,” Haley said. “I don’t have any doubt.”
That’s fortunate for Haley, because this year Cassel certainly will get paid like one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.
Cassel’s base salary of $11.75 million ranks third among 2010 projected starting quarterbacks, behind only former Super Bowl champions Manning of Indianapolis and Brett Favre of Minnesota.
Players are often compensated with bonuses given when a contract is signed and at other times, so base salaries tell only part of a player’s financial situation. Cassel, for instance, received a
$10 million roster bonus last year and is due a $250,000 workout bonus this year, according to financial records obtained by The Kansas City Star.
But base pay often makes up the greatest portion of a player’s income in a given year. Next season, Cassel will draw a salary far in excess of that to be earned by Brees, who is to make about $6.5 million after leading New Orleans to the Super Bowl championship.
Cassel’s salary won’t be rivaled by any of his teammates currently under contract. The next-highest base salary is that of defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey, scheduled to make about $3.2 million.
“I’ve never been a guy who has cared about money,” Cassel said. “Just because you have a dollar figure and that’s what you make, that’s not the kind of person that I am. I’m a down-to-earth kind of guy, and everybody knows that. I’m probably still one of the cheapest guys you’ll ever meet, to be completely honest.
“There’s pressure, and I understand that. That’s what this position is. That’s part of what we signed up for. Everybody looks to you to be the leader. I wouldn’t have it any other way, you know. People have high expectations. I have high expectations for myself. I have high expectations for the Kansas City Chiefs. That just kind of goes along with the territory.”
In ranking third among NFL quarterbacks in base pay, Cassel is in some unfamiliar territory. Each of the five other highest-paid quarterbacks, all also making more than $9 million, has taken a team to multiple Super Bowls (Manning and Favre) or was a high draft pick (Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer, Atlanta’s Matt Ryan and Oakland’s JaMarcus Russell).
Down the list are Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger and New England’s Tom Brady. Each has guided his team to multiple Super Bowl titles and has been financially rewarded with fat bonuses.
Cassel, a starter for only two seasons, has never taken his team to the playoffs and was originally drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round in 2005. But the Chiefs have high expectations for him just the same.
“I’m really encouraged about Matt and where he’s at, and I’m encouraged about where we are as an offense,” Haley said.
Cassel was the 25th-rated quarterback last year, according to the NFL’s arcane passer-rating system. He was 20th in completions and 21st in touchdowns but was held back by a low completion percentage of 55.0 percent.
“We led the league in (dropped passes),” Haley said. “That created a little different perception of Matt.”
The Chiefs threw Cassel into a most difficult situation last season. Their receivers didn’t play well, the offensive line had problems, the running game was nonexistent until Jamaal Charles emerged at midseason, and defensive troubles left the Chiefs behind in many games.
All of that put pressure on Cassel. Haley said the Chiefs will try to provide more help next season, and pointed to the recent hiring of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis as evidence of their intent.
In this case, it’s all about the Chiefs protecting their investment.
“We’ve got to give some help to him, which we’ve done as far as coaching staff, but he needs additional players around him, too,” Haley said.
“We have a number of areas that have to be addressed as we continue to improve. Personnel on offense at a number of those positions is (among) those. We’ll do whatever we can with whatever is available, keeping in mind we have a whole team to try to improve. A lot of things can happen. Things don’t always go as you planned, and sometimes you have to make do.
“There are only so many things you can do. We felt like we exhausted all avenues (last year) that we had as far as what was available. We had a number of different areas — and still do — that we have to address on this team. So I don’t second-guess any of the decisions we made from a personnel standpoint.”