Ian's Daily Blog - There are many wondering (myself included) if the Patriots did indeed get maximum value for this weekend’s trade involving quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel, who were both shipped off to Kansas City for the Chiefs 2nd-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.Unfortunately after having time to digest the circumstances around this deal, I [...]
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In general I tend to agree that what we got for Cassel was the best we could do at the time of the trade. (Though I think you're reaching suggesting that the #12 pick would be too high and expensive in terms of value in the draft... Top 5 pick, maybe, and I can understand Belichick not demanding #3 from Pioli... but #12 is a pretty good value pick in nearly every draft in my book.)
But over all regular fans like us may never truly appreciate all that was and is involved in these sort of trades.
Cassel may have had a short list of teams and his agent had ample time to let every team know who was in and out of the running. His agent likely floated salary requirements as well (and for those of you who think Cassel and his agent would never violate the gag order once he signed the tender, well, then you can just assume they had those conversations BEFORE he signed the tender.)
All of that certainly would limit the market.
As far as the last minute offers - or the decision by Belichick to rush, or not pull the plug on the Chiefs deal in light of the last minute offerings, Belichick understands that sometimes you can be pennywise and pound foolish in extracting maximum value.
Nearly all players and coaches WANT TO PLAY FOR Belichick. Why? Because he's tough, he's fair, and he's a winner.
Stab a player in the back - or a GM for that matter - and it comes back to haunt you.
Belichick surely could have pulled the plug on the Cassel to KC trade given the last minute deals. But it may be that he had an agreement and understanding with Cassel... not to mention Pioli. Having that sort of a good name is what often gets us top caliber players at bargain basement prices.
If any of those matters were considerations I have no doubt that Belichick did the right thing by keeping his word and letting the trade go forward. In the long run, that may be the best for the Patriots. The bottom line is that none of us really know what was happening behind the scenes.