Patriots say they will franchise Matt Cassel

[ClevelandBronco]

Originally Posted by Valiant

IF Brady comes back and is the same.. Two years is a long time IF they are still on that timeline..

Cassel gives them the advantage of being a known commodity.. I do not see him being traded this off-season unless some team does something monumentally stupid.. I also see him being franchised next year depending on Brady's condition.. Either as trade bait, or sign him to a long term deal if they think Brady is done..

I do not see the Pats looking for Brady's backup but Cassel's backup this year..

There's no point in looking for anything except a short-term backup (early-season next year, if necessary) for Cassel during Brady's absence. Cassel is nothing but a backup for the rest of his career. No one will give more than backup value for the guy.

Unfortunately, the Pats have little choice at this time. In any event, Cassel isn't Brady's replacement. He's an interim replacement QB.