Patriots trade Cassel and Vrabel to Chiefs for second round pick
Scott Pioli is quickly turning the Kansas City Chiefs into the Patriots of the AFC West after he was able to acquire quarterback Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel from New England in exchange for a second round pick (No. 34 overall).
NFL.com’s Adam Schefter, who first reported the story, claims that the two teams have agreed on the compensation, but details are not yet available. Rotoworld.com, however, confirms that the compensation for Cassel and Vrabel is a second round pick, which seems incredibly light for a starting quarterback and linebacker.
Did Bill Belichick do his old buddy Pioli a favor by only letting Cassel go for only a second rounder? Did Pioli have incriminating photos of New England front office members and was set to release them unless they agreed to trade Cassel for as little as possible? How they hell could the Pats only get a second rounder for Cassel and Vrabel?
Three years ago, the Falcons traded backup quarterback Matt Schaub to the Texans for two second round picks and the teams also swapped first rounders (Atlanta got the 8th overall pick, while Houston got the 10th). How did the Falcons get two second round picks and jump up two spots in the first round for Schaub, yet the Patriots were only able to muster a second rounder from the Chiefs for Cassel, who is coming off a full season as a starter?
Obviously New England was petrified of having Cassel’s cap number on their books for the 2009 season and decided to jump when KC offered up a second round pick. Vrabel only saves the Pats $3 million in cap space, so it’s still unclear why he was part of the deal, although maybe this is where the aforementioned favor comes in. Vrabel was set to take a lesser role next year in New England, but in KC, he’ll be a starter and a mentor in the Chiefs’ new 3-4 defensive front.
This was a nice move by the Chiefs. Cassel already has a season under his belt as a starter and now gets to work in a pass-happy situation in KC under new head coach Todd Haley. He also has Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez (if he’s not traded) to throw to, as well as Larry Johnson (if he stops bitching about wanting to be traded) to take some pressure off him in the offense. The Chiefs still have to sign Cassel to a long-term deal, but their questions at quarterback have finally been answered.
As for the Patriots, they’ll clear a ton of cap space off their books, but it’s shocking how little they received for Cassel in the end. He may never pan out in Kansas City, but his value had to be more than a second rounder, right?
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Posted in: NFL
Tags: Kansas City Chiefs., Matt Cassel, Matt Cassel Chiefs rumors, Matt Cassel trade, Matt Cassel trade rumors, Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots, NFL free agency rumors, NFL rumors, NFL trades, Patriots get second round pick for Matt Cassel, Patriots screwed in Matt Cassel trade, Patriots trade Matt Cassel, Patriots trade Matt Cassel to Chiefs, Patriots trade Mike Vrabel, Patriots trade Mike Vrabel to Chiefs, Patriots-Chiefs Matt Cassel trade
This is interesting. I’m not sure I like this if I’m a Chiefs fan. Cassel is a great story, but he was given the keys to a high-performance machine. Now we’ll see what he can do with an old clunker. The experiment won’t be cheap for the Chiefs.
I’m wondering what kind of a long-term deal the Chiefs sign Cassel to.
Maybe Pioli threatened to expose Belicheat and that’s how they got him for a second rounder.
From a fantasy perspective, this is a big bump for all the KC offensive players. I’m wondering if KC decides to move Thigpen to a team desperate for QB help. He was pretty solid as a starter last season and has a lot of room to grow.
You know, this is the #34 overall pick, so it’s basically a late-first round pick. I think the Pats did pretty well for themselves.
To me, the most comparable trade for Cassel is the one the Texans swung for Matt Schaub in 2007.
Schaub, who had less starting experience than Cassel at the time of the Falcons/Texans trade, was acquired for the 39th overall pick in 2007 and the 48th overall pick in 2008. The Falcons and Texans also swapped first round picks, so Houston had to drop two spots down in the 2007 draft.
Considering Schaub was had for two picks and a first round swap, then I don’t think the Patriots got enough in return for Cassel. Not to mention, they also threw in Mike Vrabel, who maybe aging, but he’s probably going to start for KC.
The Pats get a case of jello for Cassel? No, but I still think they could have gotten more when you look at the Schaub deal.
On paper – this looks like the Pats didn’t get enough. This kid gets 10-11 wins last year – and Vrebal is a throw in for the 34th pick. Maybe, finally, the Pats didn’t do the right thing. I DO think Casesel will get Lumped-up in KC. My sister could QB at N. E. They have all day to throw. Ask Brady.
I think it’s more about how the Texans gave up too much for Schaub than the Patriots not getting enough for Cassel. Keep in mind that the economic downturn is having a big impact on professional sports and teams a reluctant to invest a lot of money in a semi-unknown player right now. There has been a lot of talk about how Cassel just isn’t that good and that he’s a product of the NE system. If that’s the case, then it’s understandable why the Pats wouldn’t be able to get more. Unfortunately, we’ll never really know what other offers NE had on the table. A player is only worth what someone is willing to give up for him.