ctpatsfan77

I see those as the two options; the one caveat, though, is that signing him to a long-term deal--as long as there's no new CBA--forecloses the option of trading him in 2009.

__________________
"Momentum was quickly snatched away by New England, who once again proved that any Patriot, at any moment, can make a play." —Inside the NFL, Packers v. Patriots

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

mayoclinic

The current CBA is in place through 2009, so why couldn't we trade him?

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

FreeTedWilliams

I think that he will be traded either just before the draft or on draft day. I'm betting that he goes for a mid 1st rounder and a 2010 conditional pick. There are too many teams that need a QB, and only 2 maybe 3 starting QBs in the draft. Stafford is a pretty safe pick, while I think that Sanchez is a very risky pick. All the FA QBs on the market are close to the end of their career guys (Garcia, Warner, Collins) plus Leftwich. I think that Minnisota might be the perfect landing slot for Leftwich, I think that both Warner and Collins will re-sign (and the fact that they are both starting ahead of QBs drafted in the first round, also helps Cassel's chances).

That leaves the following teams with no true starting QB:
Detriot (unless you want to count Culpepper)
NY Jets (please start the season with Clemens!!)
KC
Chicago
Tampa Bay

And the following teams were Cassel would be a major upgrade from the current (not highly drafted/paid/expendable) starting QB:
Buffalo
Houston
Jacksonville
Washington

So I'm pretty sure that Brady is healthy, and that Cassel will be traded.

__________________
The Jets look like a Super Bowl contender right now about as much as Rosie O’Donnell looks like a threat for the Miss America crown. -NY Post 12/19/2011


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

ctpatsfan77

The CBA is in place until 2010. The cap is only in place through 2009--and that's the problem. One of the poison pills in the CBA is that in the year before an uncapped year, dead money cannot be prorated into the uncapped years. So if the Pats were to sign Cassel to a long-term deal, which would almost certainly necessitate a large SB, they would have to absorb the entire cap hit in 2009 if they traded him.

__________________
"Momentum was quickly snatched away by New England, who once again proved that any Patriot, at any moment, can make a play." —Inside the NFL, Packers v. Patriots

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

TruthSeeker

Good thinking, but you need to think outside the box.

The Pats could sign him to a contract with a lot of future guaranteed money instead of a signing bonus. Guarantees the same thing but allows full tradability.

ctpatsfan77

(A) What would you suggest as a contract Cassel might sign?
(B) Remember these rules involving contracts signed this year:
* The 30% rule on salaries--for each $1M in 2009 salary, future salaries can increase by no more than $300K per year.
* Any money guaranteed beyond 2012 automatically counts against the 2009 cap.
* So does any 2010 roster/reporting bonus.

__________________
"Momentum was quickly snatched away by New England, who once again proved that any Patriot, at any moment, can make a play." —Inside the NFL, Packers v. Patriots

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

supafly

This is probably the best answer here, it'll be a highly debated topic 'til the end--and we all have our reasons for our opinions.

One of the better things to remember here, is no matter what, it looks like our Pats will be just fine....no matter what. And that's the most important thing here, despite who starts. We are spoiled in this situation, it's almost like one of those highbrow problems--when people don't realize how lucky they kinda are just to have the problem. (ex: my mercedes has a flat tire)

We could be the Vikings, the Chiefs, the Lions, etc etc. So no matter what, I'm just gonna chill and look forward to the new yr of football

BelizePats

He was gone the the second we franchised him!
End of story!

PatsFaninAZ

Absolutely agree. I've been saying this since the franchise idea was floated. They'll give him up for a bag of footballs if it comes to it.

JoeSixPat

You need to factor in whether CASSEL accepts the trade and the deal too. Ulitmately his vote is the most important one. If there's not enough teams willing to give him the $25 million guaranteed he probably wants PLUS a top pick to the Patriots, Cassel's got a good fall back plan...

... specifically to collect $40 million guranteed over the next two years instead of just $25 million this year.