ESPN: Cassel has accepted the franchise tender [merged]

[Sivy]

A few things,

I'm glad he isnt crying saying he's "worth more" than 14 million,

second, man, its crazy isnt it? Remember when alot of us were gonna recomend cassel for a job at walmart...good for him, I'm glad he's proved alot of us wrong.

Finaly, I cant wait for Brady to come back.

 

[borg]

Having read only 12 pages of this thread, these points may have been made and I didn't see them....but
Under the assumption that Brady will be healthy...... this is all about leverage and who can now dictate the process....Matt Cassel and his agent.

Cassel now has $14+ mill in the bank and control of his destination. He can veto any destination or refuse to renegotiate a long term contract with the undesirable team. If he and his agent feel that the compensation for him is too extreme, (example... 3 first rounders) he has the ability to clog the process. Imagine being traded to the Lions with a wheel barrel of picks headed to New England....the Lions get their QB but no ability to rebuild. Cassel and his agent are at the table with BB and any team interested in him. They have a major say in the process.

Lets remember....during Super Bowl week, Cassel worked the room like a pro. He may have come off as the good soldier spouting Patriots mantra, but no question he was publicly interviewing for a new gig. Hello America, I'm Matt Cassel...a humble guy schooled the Patriots way...but here I am, what do you think. Imagine a MR. Me type in Cassel 's shoes (Terrell Owens as QB)...hey America, I deserve to be a starter, probably in NE, I feel I'm the best, I can make any throw, teams would be lucky to have me...

Think back to the Assante Samuel tag, he turned his tag into leverage. I expect Cassel's agent will want to make his bones and inject himself in the process. What would Drew Rosenfeld do...Rant, threaten, holdout...who knows...but one thing he wouldn't do is allow his client to be thrust into a similar situation we saw in Cleveland last year. For these agents, it is all about securing the coin now, for his client and him. Anyone thinking that Cassel will come to terms with a long term backup contract with the Pats is kidding themselves. Unless he is a fool, he will never negotiate a deal with the Pats, as long as Brady is around.

As it stands today, Cassels worst case scenario is he sticks with the Pats, plays or sits, banks $14+ mill and begins this process all over again...as a free agent or franchised again. $30 mill for two years would be a coup.

 

[CrazyDave]

Please explain why you tag Cassel and not trade him? Espn and others are saying Cassel stays for a year. If Brady is healthy after 4 games does he then start? 14 mil for a guy to hold a clip board. It makes no since unless you trade him even if Brady is not ready game 1.

This is a non-story.
Cassell will be traded by the end of the first week of march. Period.
He's not staying.
This is much ado about nothing.

 

[Rob0729]

Having read only 12 pages of this thread, these points may have been made and I didn't see them....but
Under the assumption that Brady will be healthy...... this is all about leverage and who can now dictate the process....Matt Cassel and his agent.

Cassel now has $14+ mill in the bank and control of his destination. He can veto any destination or refuse to renegotiate a long term contract with the undesirable team. If he and his agent feel that the compensation for him is too extreme, (example... 3 first rounders) he has the ability to clog the process. Imagine being traded to the Lions with a wheel barrel of picks headed to New England....the Lions get their QB but no ability to rebuild. Cassel and his agent are at the table with BB and any team interested in him. They have a major say in the process.

Lets remember....during Super Bowl week, Cassel worked the room like a pro. He may have come off as the good soldier spouting Patriots mantra, but no question he was publicly interviewing for a new gig. Hello America, I'm Matt Cassel...a humble guy schooled the Patriots way...but here I am, what do you think. Imagine a MR. Me type in Cassel 's shoes (Terrell Owens as QB)...hey America, I deserve to be a starter, probably in NE, I feel I'm the best, I can make any throw, teams would be lucky to have me...

Think back to the Assante Samuel tag, he turned his tag into leverage. I expect Cassel's agent will want to make his bones and inject himself in the process. What would Drew Rosenfeld do...Rant, threaten, holdout...who knows...but one thing he wouldn't do is allow his client to be thrust into a similar situation we saw in Cleveland last year. For these agents, it is all about securing the coin now, for his client and him. Anyone thinking that Cassel will come to terms with a long term backup contract with the Pats is kidding themselves. Unless he is a fool, he will never negotiate a deal with the Pats, as long as Brady is around.

As it stands today, Cassels worst case scenario is he sticks with the Pats, plays or sits, banks $14+ mill and begins this process all over again...as a free agent or franchised again. $30 mill for two years would be a coup.

Actually, I disagree with the leverage part. Cassell had more control when he didn't sign the tender offer. Him getting traded before he signed the tender still required the team trading for him to get a long term deal. I don't know how his veto power in refusing to renegotiate has changed. How did him signing the tender give him more leverage in not negotiating in long term deals.

Again, I think Cassel has lost some leverage. What if the Lions come to the Pats and offer their first and third round picks and say that it isn't contingent on a long term deal? What if they say they are willing to take him for the one year $14.65 million and either try to get a long term deal done with him or know he will either be a RFA next year or they can franchise him again if a new CBA is hammered out. Then if Cassel is a bust there, they aren't on the hook for another $15 million in guarantees. If he is as successful, they can tender him and try to get a long term deal or trade him and recoup the picks. In this scenario, Cassel has zero veto power and gave up the veto power he would have had if he didn't sign the tender. Granted this scenario isn't likely to happen, but if a team is unsure that Cassel will repeat his success but is willing to gamble this might be the best way to minimize the losses if Cassel fails.

The ONLY way Cassel gains leverage by signing the tender is if no team is willing to offer the Pats anything close to what they want and they definitely want Cassel off the books and fast. Then Cassel could try to broke a deal with the team he wanted.

In reality, Cassel really doesn't gain or lose any real leverage with this move.

Also, Cassel's agent lost a lot of what Samuel had because he cannot threaten to hold out now that he signed his tender. Cassel must attend every organized team activity or face disclinary actions which could include a suspension. Eventhough the tender offer guarantees his pay, that guarantee does not include suspension for cause like Cassel holding out. If Cassel's agent was going to go the Samuel route, he would never had signed the franchise tender. That is where Samuel gained his leverage.

 

[AzPatsFan]

If I'm Matt Cassel I do what I did before. And I rely on Belichick to do what he did before,and stay true to form.

I stayed at USC and didn't tranfer to merely play; because I am competitive enough to think I could be the QB on the #1 Team in the Nation, and win the Heismann and a national collegiate championship, right up to the end.

I will stay with the Patriots, (if they'll have me), and compete for the Biggest Prize of all, like I did before. I want to be the Starting QB for a Super bowl winner, and NFL MVP and a potential HOF QB.

I don't think I have a chance to do that with say the Lions, to even get to a SB. But the Pats are Super bowl favorites. I'm here, and I see up close, the talent that BB is rebuilding with. ThisTeam has the talent. Why not me as the QB? BB might do what he did before, TWICE. He has dumped Bernie Kosar and Drew Bledsoe for young, up and comers. Why not me?

Choosing USC, a college power; and Staying at USC worked out well, in retrospect. I got a $14 million dollar check in my pocket, by going to the top Team, the Pats, as a late pick, instead of an early round pick by a sad-sack team like the Lions. :snob:

 

[swheeler23]

If I'm Matt Cassel I do what I did before. And I rely on Belichick to do what he did before,and stay true to form.

I stayed at USC and didn't tranfer to merely play; because I am competitive enough to think I could be the QB on the #1 Team in the Nation, and win the Heismann and a national collegiate championship, right up to the end.

I will stay with the Patriots, (if they'll have me), and compete for the Biggest Prize of all, like I did before. I want to be the Starting QB for a Super bowl winner, and NFL MVP and a potential HOF QB.

I don't think I have a chance to do that with say the Lions, to even get to a SB. But the Pats are Super bowl favorites. I'm here, and I see up close, the talent that BB is rebuilding with. ThisTeam has the talent. Why not me as the QB? BB might do what he did before, TWICE. He has dumped Bernie Kosar and Drew Bledsoe for young, up and comers. Why not me?

Choosing USC, a college power; and Staying at USC worked out well, in retrospect. I got a $14 million dollar check in my pocket, by going to the top Team, the Pats, as a late pick, instead of an early round pick by a sad-sack team like the Lions. :snob:

So you think Brady has played his last game as a Patriot?

 

[Seneschal2]

Actually, IF the Pats intend to trade him, they probably already have given Cassel and his agent David Dunn permission to speak to other clubs with respect to a contract for Cassel and/or compensation needed to pry him away...

Correct. Dunn does all of the legwork for his client, the Pats do nothing except set the asking price (two 1sts, one 1st+, etc.).

It allows Dunn to do some of the heavy lifting and come back to the Patriots with a) new long term contract acceptable to Cassel and b) possibly the right mix of drafts picks or picks and players needed to make it happen.

Exactly. All acceptable offers to Cassel and Dunn will be presented to the Pats. The Pats will select their ONE preferred team. The Pats will then finalize the trade with said team.

It is certainly in his best interest to get Cassel to someplace that wants to give him a nice long term contract....Win-win all around.

"Best interest" is what it's all about from the get-go for both Cassel and the Pats. The Pats want to receive as close to possible their preferred compensation, and Cassel wants to choose the one franchise where he doesn't hold a clipboard for a long, long time.

Just a couple other points...

All Cassel suitors will want Cassel involved in their TC and pre-season from the beginning. They're investing a multi-year contract in one player who needs time to learn their offensive system, in the hope he'll be their starting QB from game one. And just as it's an advantage to Cassel's new team for his TC presence, it's also advantageous to the Pats to have Brady's backup (O'Connell or a veteran FA), working with their first team offense until Brady is ready.

The Pats real insurance for Brady, is to replace Cassel with an adequate QB to pair with O'Connell. Keep in mind that Cassel wasn't prepared this past off-season to be the Pats starter -- he evolved. This season, the Pats will plan on Brady not being ready. And with the backup QB having a improved supporting cast in place, on both sides of the ball, the challenge may not be as great as it was when Cassel was suddenly thrust into full time action.

JMO.

 

[Deus Irae]

Nevermind.....

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Correct. Dunn does all of the legwork for his client, the Pats do nothing except set the asking price (two 1sts, one 1st+, etc.).

Exactly. All acceptable offers to Cassel and Dunn will be presented to the Pats. The Pats will select their ONE preferred team. The Pats will then finalize the trade with said team.

One other point. By allowing Dunn/Cassel to get the framework of a contract in place before presenting it to the Patriots FO, they take care of the hard part and then the prospective trading partner need only pony up the picks/players to make it happen. If the order is reversed with the Pats and the other team agreeing on the parameters of a trade and the only obstacle is getting Cassel to agree to a long term contract, it puts Cassel/Dunn in the driver's seat with more leverage. Here ( agent negotiates contract and then comes to Pats with framework for the trade), the Patriots are in a better negotiating position. If the other team doesn't pony up, the Pats could claim to either have another trading partner (probably true) or keep Cassel despite the cap hit as Brady insurance.(questionable-)

 

[ctpatsfan77]

All this does is gives Cassel $14.65 million right now rather than waiting for a trade or all spring and summer to sign the tender before camp. If Cassel knows that he is being traded, it just allows him to live in luxary waiting. If Cassel knows the Pats are going to keep him, then he can practice with the team and become a millionaire now.

Actually, this is a key point: under the terms of the franchise tag, he gets nothing until the season begins. Each week during the regular season he will receive 1/17 of the franchise tender amount (~$850K/week).

I've read that agents only get 2% of player contracts on franchise deals compared to the usual 3%. That means Dunn earns 2% of $14.65 million or $293K on Cassel's contract. If he can negotiate a $30 million deal or more( keep in mind the guy got Aaron Rodgers $65 million), he'll earn $900K or more. It is certainly in his best interest to get Cassel to someplace that wants to give him a nice long term contract....Win-win all around.

As Miguel noted, that is absolutely correct. Combine this with the fact that the franchise tag = no upfront money. . . .

It is a possible reason, but unless Brady is definitely going to miss a large portion or all of the season, it is stupid for Cassel to sign the tender IMHO. What if Cassel signs the tender and doesn't try to shop himself around and Brady is back by mid-training camp and misses at most 1-2 games. Then Cassel has to hold a clipboard for the season and hope he is as hot of a name next year and the free agent market and the draft is as devoid of QB as it is this year. That is a big gamble for Cassel unless he knows Brady is going to miss half or more of the season.

There would have been no added benefit in this case; the only advantage to not signing the tender is that it would allow teams willing to cough up two firsts to make a "hostile" offer. Any trade for less than that would have to be negotiated with Belireesio.

There could be another reason. You can't franchise a player for the sole purpose of trading him. Based on Goodell's history of slapping the Patriots, the team probably want to avoid any hassles.

There's no explicit rule to that effect in the CBA. There is a good faith requirement (in other words, if you franchise the player, that you have a good faith intention to actually keep him on the roster), but no one can argue that, especially if Cassel's OK with what happens.

Again, I think Cassel has lost some leverage.

Agreed, although not much.

 

[borg]

Actually, I disagree with the leverage part. Cassell had more control when he didn't sign the tender offer. Him getting traded before he signed the tender still required the team trading for him to get a long term deal. I don't know how his veto power in refusing to renegotiate has changed. How did him signing the tender give him more leverage in not negotiating in long term deals.

Again, I think Cassel has lost some leverage. What if the Lions come to the Pats and offer their first and third round picks and say that it isn't contingent on a long term deal? What if they say they are willing to take him for the one year $14.65 million and either try to get a long term deal done with him or know he will either be a RFA next year or they can franchise him again if a new CBA is hammered out. Then if Cassel is a bust there, they aren't on the hook for another $15 million in guarantees. If he is as successful, they can tender him and try to get a long term deal or trade him and recoup the picks. In this scenario, Cassel has zero veto power and gave up the veto power he would have had if he didn't sign the tender. Granted this scenario isn't likely to happen, but if a team is unsure that Cassel will repeat his success but is willing to gamble this might be the best way to minimize the losses if Cassel fails.

The ONLY way Cassel gains leverage by signing the tender is if no team is willing to offer the Pats anything close to what they want and they definitely want Cassel off the books and fast. Then Cassel could try to broke a deal with the team he wanted.

In reality, Cassel really doesn't gain or lose any real leverage with this move.

Also, Cassel's agent lost a lot of what Samuel had because he cannot threaten to hold out now that he signed his tender. Cassel must attend every organized team activity or face disclinary actions which could include a suspension. Eventhough the tender offer guarantees his pay, that guarantee does not include suspension for cause like Cassel holding out. If Cassel's agent was going to go the Samuel route, he would never had signed the franchise tender. That is where Samuel gained his leverage.

Cassel's leverage is with the Patriots, not with potential teams. No team is going to give up a high pick for essentially a one year contract, so there is no threat that the Pats will send him where ever they want to. What GM would sacrifice multi-year control over a high draft pick for a one year high priced rehearsal? Signing now places the urgency with the Patriots, if the Patriots are serious about signing free agents and/or extending current roster players.

 

[mgteich]

1) Without Cassel's strong cooperation, Cassel's current worth is less that the 3rd round comp pick. Minny might trade a 3rd for the right to pay Cassel $14.6M for one year, but I don't think so.

2) Cassel did give up leverage to guarantee his $14.6M. After all, other teams might come to their senses and not give him $14.M in 2009 after the patriots dropped the tag. Before he signed the tag (or said that he would), Cassel was free after feb 27 to convince teams like Minny or the jets that he was worth two of their firsts. Apparently he didn't want to take that risk.

3) A deal could already be worked out with KC for thier 20 and a conditional 2010 pick, with an announcement by February 27th. However, it would seem that this is direct conflict with league rules. This situation would clearly be franchise with the intent to trade and to keep certain teams from using their right to sign Cassel for two firsts.

4) The team could have decided to keep Cassel for now, and trade him when and if Brady is near 100%. THIS IS RAPIDLY BECOMING THE MOST LIKELY CONTINGENCY.

5) Personally, I would think that three high quality free agents, even at $5M each for one year would help the team more than the difference between Cassel and O'Connell.

 

[Deus Irae]

4) The team could have decided to keep Cassel for now, and trade him when and if Brady is near 100%. THIS IS RAPIDLY BECOMING THE MOST LIKELY CONTINGENCY.

What are you basing this claim upon?

 

[N.Eman]

Re: Report: Cassel has accepted the franchise tender (merged)

I just hope he doesnt go to the damn Jests.

 

[Brettlax3434]

Im willing to bet that BB already knows if Brady will be ready for week 1. Hes BB, of course he wouldnt let anyone else know.

 

[mgteich]

Belichick is many things, a predictor of medical progress is not one of his skills. I don't think anyone knows whether Brady will be ready for Week One.

Im willing to bet that BB already knows if Brady will be ready for week 1. Hes BB, of course he wouldnt let anyone else know.

 

[mayoclinic]

All Cassel suitors will want Cassel involved in their TC and pre-season from the beginning. They're investing a multi-year contract in one player who needs time to learn their offensive system, in the hope he'll be their starting QB from game one. And just as it's an advantage to Cassel's new team for his TC presence, it's also advantageous to the Pats to have Brady's backup (O'Connell or a veteran FA), working with their first team offense until Brady is ready.

Correct. It is every bit as much to everyone's advantage to resolve this is soon as possible.

To the Pats' advantage, because the sooner they trade Cassel they sooner they free up $$ for FA, have a better idea what picks they have for leverage in the draft, and can move into spring and TC without the Cassel issue hanging over them. O'Connell will be the clear #2 going into TC and can get lots of reps.

To the advantage of whatever team trades for Cassel, because they will want to know who their QB is as soon as possible to plan for FA, the draft, and to go into TC with no ambiguity.

To Cassel's advantange, because while I'm sure he is happy to have $14M secured, he will be even happier with a lucrative long term contract and a clear starting role.

I predict this issue will be resolved within 3-4 weeks. The likely resolution may be known within the next 2 weeks.

 

[mgteich]

The speculation is mine. Some mediots agree.

The patriots don't yet need another league action. If a trade is announced (say with Detriot) in the first week of free agency with Cassel willing to sign a deal, several teams would file action with the league, certainly including Minny and the jets. They would have lost their chance to secure Cassel for two 1sts purusant to league rules. My understanding is that franchising with the intent to trade is a violation of league rules. Had Cassel NOT signed the tender, teams could have worked out a deal with Cassel and sent two firsts to the patriots. An early trade, with Cassel signing a long-term contract, would mean that the patriots and Cassel had purposely colluded to violate the rules of the CBA.

It seems reasonable to wait until the week before the draft to make a deal (or whenever a veteran QB is secured), if one is to be made. At that point, the team will know much more about the health of Brady and the availability of veteran QB's.

What are you basing this claim upon?

 

[Jimke]

The speculation is mine. Some mediots agree.

The patriots don't yet need another league action. If a trade is announced (say with Detriot) in the first week of free agency with Cassel willing to sign a deal, several teams would file action with the league, certainly including Minny and the jets. They would have lost their chance to secure Cassel for two 1sts purusant to league rules. My understanding is that franchising with the intent to trade is a violation of league rules. Had Cassel NOT signed the tender, teams could have worked out a deal with Cassel and sent two firsts to the patriots. An early trade, with Cassel signing a long-term contract, would mean that the patriots and Cassel had purposely colluded to violate the rules of the CBA.

It seems reasonable to wait until the week before the draft to make a deal (or whenever a veteran QB is secured), if one is to be made. At that point, the team will know much more about the health of Brady and the availability of veteran QB's.

How many of their own free agents or other teams free agents will the Patriots
be able to sign if the Patriots wait until the week before the draft to trade Cassel.
Only the dregs will remain among the unsigned free agents.

 

[flasox27]

Sorry to disagree but the only party that can complain about the franchise tag being abused is Cassel not any other team. This type of tag and trade was done by both the Chiefs and Packers last year with no complaints. In fact the Jets have used the tag and trade with John Abraham.