Teams who should make a run at Matt Cassel
by John Czarnecki
John Czarnecki has been the editorial consultant for FOX NFL Sunday since its 1994 inception. This season marks Czarnecki's 30th year covering the NFL. He is one of 44 selectors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Updated: February 26, 2009, 8:15 PM EST
INDIANAPOLIS - The NFL Scouting Combine is really a major football convention, complete with hundreds of agents working on deals with teams and general managers days before the official opening of free agency. There is very little moral high ground in this area, something akin to bank executives approving billions in mortgages to home owners they knew didn't qualify nor could afford it down the road.
But this is America, home of the bailout. Anything goes and the rules be damned even in the NFL because agents, just like many an NFL team, don't want to get caught missing out on the right player or getting the most money possible. American workers are being laid off while in the NFL a few players are actually moving up the pay scale to where a few more will be making almost a $1 million per game. When I broke into the league, Rams' veterans went nuts when No. 1 pick Johnnie Johnson got $1 million over eight years!
The most intriguing tales I heard in this financial climate were those regarding New England quarterback Matt Cassel. There is one proposal being whispered about where the Carolina Panthers would trade star DE Julius Peppers to the Patriots for Cassel. The Panthers recently tagged Peppers at $16.7 million — yes, a $1 million per game guy — for the Patriot quarterback who was franchised at $14.6 million.
For one season, such a swap actually makes total sense to both teams. Both get the player they really need while hoping to sign him to a long-term contract. The general consensus is that Cassel wants about $75 million over five years, which includes $35 million in bonuses.
The Detroit Lions, who also need a quarterback of Cassel's ability, are reportedly going to be heavy bidders in free agency. This is good news for Detroit fans, especially if GM Martin Mayhew and finanacial boss Tom Lewand make the right choices. Their first target is Tennessee's All-Pro tackle Albert Haynesworth, who wants $14 million a season or something very close to what the Raiders are paying cornerback Nnamdi Ashomugha.
Before coming here, my sense was that Tampa Bay — which has $40 million in salary-cap room — would target Haynesworth. The Bucs and new defensive coordinator Jim Bates need a great defensive tackle. However, new Bucs GM Mark Dominik was very reluctant to consider such a price tag for Haynesworth when broached the subject.
"I'm getting the sense that Dominik doesn't want a Haynesworth signing to define his career," said a close NFL friend. "Yes, the Bucs need a player of that caliber, but there are a lot of warning flags with this guy. There is a great fear that when (Haynesworth) gets all this money, he won't play like he has in the past."
OK, if not Haynesworth, why don't the Bucs pursue Cassel? They need a quarterback after finally giving up on Jeff Garcia. But, believe it or not, the Bucs and Dominik really like Luke McCown, a quarterback ex-coach Jon Gruden never trusted to put into a game.
What the Patriots do or don't do with Cassel could define if not the top of the draft, but the draft in general.
Let's return to the Lions, who own the first pick in April's draft.
Today, there is no way the Lions will use that choice on either Georgia's Mike Stafford or USC's Mark Sanchez, the top-rated quarterbacks in the draft. Now, they might consider using it on Cassel, but they won't do that, either, even though he is preferred over the unknown rookies. Instead, the Lions will probably choose between two offensive tackles, Baylor's Jason Smith or Virginia's Eugene Monroe. It's the Jake Long syndrome all over again. Alabama's Andre Smith is out of the mix because his college coaches have been faint with their praise of their road-grader tackle who left here because he didn't feel like he was in the proper shape to compete.
In New England, Bill Belichick has a decision to make. Does he believe Tom Brady's pronouncement that he will be ready for the start of the season and trade Cassel before the draft? Or does he take the cautious route and hold onto Cassel until training camp when he has a more reliable read on Brady's ability to perform on opening day?
The latter is a real possibility, but such a decision messes with the teams that covet Cassel and also need a new quarterback. However, this plan could also hurt the Patriots because Cassel could refuse a trade to say, Detroit, in July. The Lions may like a scenario like that because they can use all of this year's draft choices while spending their future picks on a quarterback. Makes a lot of sense, right?
To maximize Cassel and also get a trade that he would prefer, Belichick would be wise to move him sooner rather than later. Otherwise, he could have $30 million worth of quarterbacks on his 2009 roster and then be stuck in 2010 with franchising Cassel once again. That actually sounds ludicrous.
Nothing against Stafford or Sanchez, but neither appears to be the next Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco. Now, Cassel displayed impressive tools in highly-pressurized situations last season, plus there's less wear and tear on his body, considering he's only played one season in the last eight years. Neither Stafford or Sanchez can claim that.
In his first full NFL season, Cassel completed 63.4 percent of his attempts for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdown passes. The more he played, the smarter he played, throwing just four of his 11 interceptions in the season's final seven games. Yes, he had Wes Welker and Randy Moss, but he also didn't have the game's greatest running game.
Here are the obvious teams in definite need of a quarterback: Detroit, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, San Francisco and the New York Jets. I could add teams like Chicago and Tennessee, because they are quality teams who seem just a quarterback away from being in the Super Bowl, but Cassel doesn't sound like a player the Bears and Titans will really pursue.
Going through this list, I have to figure that the Chiefs won't make a deal with Belichick because new GM Scott Pioli doesn't sound like a guy who is desperate to pay the price for a quarterback. Also, I'm not sure Pioli is sold on Cassel as a future NFL star.
Although the Browns said they wanted to keep Derek Anderson, they also owe him a $5 million bonus the middle of March and they want to trade him and stick with Brady Quinn. On the open market, Anderson will come cheaper than Cassel.
Still, the Lions and 49ers make the most sense to pursue Cassel. Both teams need a starter and both have the money. The Vikings are reportedly set to trade for Texans backup Sage Rosenfels when the trading period begins, but they should consider Cassel instead.
What the Lions should do: New England probably doesn't want your first overall pick in the draft because it doesn't want to pay any rookie a $30 million signing bonus. But they will be interested in your second pick in the round, the 20th overall pick from the Cowboys, and you should surrender it in a heartbeat. Maybe even offer another pick, like what Minnesota did last year in order to get Jared Allen away from Kansas City.
And please don't tell me that Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton have more upside than Cassel. Ever since Matt Millen made his first draft mistake with Joey Harrington, he was reluctant to pull the trigger on a first-round quarterback. Don't make the same mistake. You will never win until you have a quarterback.
What the 49ers should do: Cassel is a west-coast kid and he knows about Joe Montana and Steve Young. San Francisco is kidding itself in believing that the winner of the Shaun Hill-Alex Smith quarterback derby will ever take this franchise back to a Super Bowl. San Francisco appeared to be closing the gap on the Cardinals last season in the NFC West, and should have beaten them in Glendale last season.
Cassel has the ability to put the 49ers over the top in this division, considering the Cardinals don't have any history of actually staying on top of anything, let alone winning back-to-back division championships.
What the Vikings should do: Yes, Brad Childress does argue that Tarvaris Jackson started to play better quarterback down the stretch, but Cassel has a much more accurate arm and also has some tough scrambling ability. We all know why Brett Favre wanted to play with the Vikings last season. He wanted to beat the Packers, plus he knew how easy it would be handing off to Adrian Peterson all game long. Childress knows how deadly Cassel on play action with Peterson.
A great running back can do a lot for a quarterback. John Elway, as great as he was, never won a championship until Terrell Davis came along. The big unknown in Minnesota, though, is that with Childress on the hot seat and entering the last year of his contract, does GM Rick Spielman really want to make his job easier by pursuing Cassel?
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