What does BB think is the best for the team?

[jmt57]

Cassel will be kept for now - if all else fails, he will be the expensive backup to Brady. He will be traded if the QB situation is satisfactorily dealt with (Brady healthy in time for training camp, backups ready and plenty), and if another team is willing to pay the price (Detroit, KC, SF, Chicago, whoever else).

The thing is, the Pats won't be able to wait and see if Brady will be ready to start the season. Other teams are going to want to make a decision prior to the draft and work with their new QB all off-season and training camp. If the Pats are going to make a trade, they'll want to do it early enough to use that cap space elsewhere, and before the draft to get a player(s) on the team now, rather than waiting till next year.

I know the Jets brought in Favre just before the end of the training camp last year, but trades made then are the exception, not the rule. Unfortunately the Pats will need to make a decision to either keep or trade Cassel long before they know for sure whether or not Brady will be ready to play in September.

 

[mgteich]

The patriots could wait until a week or two before the draft, the traditional time for trades. The problem with that is that it greatly affects the patriots' flexibility in free agency. Teams want to know who will be their QB as soon as possible, but I think the real deadline for such teams is about May 1st. However, the patriots won't know whether Brady will be ready for the season until August.

In the end, I don't think that it helps much to wait to trade Cassel.

The thing is, the Pats won't be able to wait and see if Brady will be ready to start the season. Other teams are going to want to make a decision prior to the draft and work with their new QB all off-season and training camp. If the Pats are going to make a trade, they'' want to do it early enough to use that cap space elsewhere, and before the draft to get a player(s) on the team now, rather than waiting till next year.

I know the Jets brought in Favre just before the end of the training camp last year, but trades made then are the exception, not the rule. Unfortunately the Pats will need to make a decision to either keep or trade Cassel long before they know for sure whether or not Brady will be ready to play in September.