Revisiting an old idea...

[Wretch]

Re: Revisiting an old idea....

Just hope the compensatory picks are good to us.

Bingo. 6 months ago almost everyone on this board would have been thrilled for a 5th round for the guy, which is probably what we will get as a compensatory pick if he signs with another team. If he plays very well maybe a 4th. I'd be happy with that.

 

[primetime]

Re: Revisiting an old idea....

You're right. Great minds like AQUA4EVER would agree with you.

Or, you know, Nick Saban and Jack Del Rio. Two guys who know absolutely, positively nothing about football.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

When you say 2 year deal, are you talking about the 2008/2009 seasons or about the 2008/2009/2010 seasons

Yes, there seem to be at least 2 differing interpretations (mine, Moe's) of that 'deal' not that it fundamentally matters greatly in my view.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

Re: Revisiting an old idea....

Just hope the compensatory picks are good to us.

:agree: He'll be gone after this year,let's hope we reap some benefits from it.

(I feel badly talking about this already He's still our QB who we're rooting for to take us to the postseason,and in October we've already got him on the block).

 

[Miguel]

Yes, there seem to be at least 2 differing interpretations (mine, Moe's) of that 'deal' not that it fundamentally matters greatly in my view.

It does matter, IMO.

The former makes Cassel an RFA after the 2009 season when he will be an UFA after this season. Agreeing to such a deal puts Cassel under the Patriots' control for the 2009 offseason and the 2010 season when doing nothing leaves Cassel in control of his destiny in the 2009 offseason (Spring of 2009).

 

[alamo]

Here's an idea which makes as much sense to me as any other mentioned. And it kills two birds with one stone.

Cut Hansen, make Cassel the punter/backup QB, and make O'Connell the starter.

At the end of the season you can then franchise Cassel cheaply, last year it was only 2.5M to franchise a punter or kicker. Worth the risk to get a good draft pick via trade. Let his new team move him back to QB. Just keep axes out of the locker room, to be safe.

As I said, this makes as much sense (more, actually) than most of the other ideas. I expect to get a 5th round compensatory pick in 2010.

 

[patchick]

Re: Revisiting an old idea....

Resigning him during a season is a MUTUAL risk/reward situation for BOTH sides.

Ken, I think this reasoning only works from Cassel's perspective if you assume that projected earnings over the next couple of years are his sole interest in the matter. I'm betting he'll want to keep playing -- both for his own satisfaction and for his longterm career/earning prospects. Why go back to holding a clipboard if you've earned other opportunities?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Revisiting an old idea....

I don't think they have until draft day to resign him. I think he becomes a FA the day after the superbowl or soon after (it might even be as late as 3/1)

He remains under contract to us and unable to talk to anyone until the day FA commences - same deal with all players unless they are given their outright release. They can tag him prior to FA (I believe the deadline is about a week before FA commences), that was the point. At that point they would have almost 2 months to make a deal for someone's 2009 draft picks...

I can't for the life of me figure out why people struggle so with some of these concepts...

The only reasons to sign him to an extension NOW (in season) would be the ability to spread the cap hit over this year as well as the added years coupled with Brady insurance for early 2009. Thus making any extension deal less of an impediment to trading him going forward...either in 2009 or more likely 2010 with marginal dead cap ramifications. But that would require committing to guaranteed money over the life of the deal likely close to the tag (because that's what a guy like Anderson got guaranteed when he extended with the Browns) with the intention that someone else ends up paying it. So it's a risk...should he get injured or struggle down the stretch and become untradeable.

But make no mistake, if he performs well and takes us deep into the playoffs, he will have a market as a franchise tag player. Even Anderson did last season (as an RFA who on the high tender could have netted a first and third or something nearly as nice if they were so inclined) only Cleveland decided to retain him as an actual starter (which had mistake written all over it down the stretch IMO...). Buy low sell high. And that being the case Matt would never sign the tag for two reasons - he'd want to start somewhere else and he'd want his big deal with a lot more than the tag value guaranteed...

If Cassel is merely servicable going forward he will still get a shot at starting somewhere and we will get a comp pick commensurate with his new deal.

 

[primetime]

Here's an idea which makes as much sense to me as any other mentioned. And it kills two birds with one stone.

Cut Hansen, make Cassel the punter/backup QB, and make O'Connell the starter.

At the end of the season you can then franchise Cassel cheaply, last year it was only 2.5M to franchise a punter or kicker. Worth the risk to get a good draft pick via trade. Let his new team move him back to QB. Just keep axes out of the locker room, to be safe.

As I said, this makes as much sense (more, actually) than most of the other ideas. I expect to get a 5th round compensatory pick in 2010.

It only makes sense in a fantasy land where there isn't a player's union, sorry. The union, for whatever else it does, exists exactly for reasons like this.

That, and the whole point to this is that Cassel's value is predicated on him being the starting QB, so making O'Connell the starter would render the whole object moot anyhow. But you get points for outside-the-box thinking.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Re: Revisiting an old idea....

He remains under contract to us and unable to talk to anyone until the day FA commences - same deal with all players unless they are given their outright release. They can tag him prior to FA (I believe the deadline is about a week before FA commences), that was the point. At that point they would have almost 2 months to make a deal for someone's 2009 draft picks...

If I'm not mistaken, the major danger here would be that Cassel could actually sign the tender, in which case his salary would be guaranteed. (Yes, I understand that he'd want to play, but ~$10M to sit on a bench for one year ain't so bad. . . .) Moreover, I believe that it would tie up those cap dollars, even if the Pats have no intention of keeping him, until they traded him.

Bingo. 6 months ago almost everyone on this board would have been thrilled for a 5th round for the guy, which is probably what we will get as a compensatory pick if he signs with another team. If he plays very well maybe a 4th. I'd be happy with that.

Remember, though, the comp pick would be in 2010, not next year.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Revisiting an old idea....

If I'm not mistaken, the major danger here would be that Cassel could actually sign the tender, in which case his salary would be guaranteed. (Yes, I understand that he'd want to play, but ~$10M to sit on a bench for one year ain't so bad. . . .) Moreover, I believe that it would tie up those cap dollars, even if the Pats have no intention of keeping him, until they traded him.

One more time...

They aren't going to play tag and trade with him unless they believe he has a market as a bonefide potential franchise starting QB. If he does he will get double that or more guaranteed from his new employer, so signing the tag would be foolish on his part. His agent would kill him first since they get only 1% of franchise tags and 3% of the value of regular contract deals. He will want to strike while the iron is hot, not sit for another year behind Brady and get forgotten...or talked about as an insecure, moneygrubbing a-hole no GM would want to deal with going forward...

And we are currently projecting roughly $25M under the cap before rolling over the $6M or so leftover this season minus and escalators and NLTBE incentives met in 2008. Not sure who we'd target in FA but not likely anyone who would take up more than $5M in first year cap... If the 2009 draft unfolds as predicted with slim QB pickings, he'd be gone before April Fools Day...