Brady vs. Cassel: No brainer...right?

All I hear when I turn the TV on is that Matty Cassel is the new messiah and that Patriot Nation can rest easy that our QB issues are on hold. Even though Cassel is a free agent after this season, we do have options. 

Slapping the franchise tag on Cassel could be dangerous but it would assure we'd have the luxury of choosing between Cassel and Brady next season. What if Brady doesn't respond to rehab? Or bounce back like he used to (ala Carson Palmer, anyone...)? An expensive insurance policy some may say, since franchise tagged players are paid the average of the top 5 players at that position. Right now Cassel is getting paid $540,220 for this season. He's practically guaranteed at least $5 million a year if he signs elsewhere next year. 

Here are the top 5 QB salaries this season:

Player	Team	Position	Cap Number ($)
Manning, Peyton	Colts	QB	18,700,000
Brady, Tom	Patriots	QB	14,626,720
Palmer, Carson	Bengals	QB	13,980,000
Manning, Eli	Giants	QB	12,916,666
Favre, Brett	Packers	QB	12,800,000

As you can see, the average salary for Cassel would be about $14.6 million. Not really manageable...

However, the Patriots could offer him a contract now, say one for $3 million with incentives and pay him something for what he's done now, as well as what we could pay him if Brady doesn't take X number of snaps next season or play in X number of games, etc. 

It's important for Cassel to learn and realize that not one free agent that has ever left the Patriots has ever come back to bite them in the ass, save for maybe Adam Vinatieri, however his golden leg is the exception. The system is what made people successful, even Coach Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel. Look at the track record of players the Patriots have cut or not re-signed. It's not a coincidence. Sure he might be able to go to Chicago in the offseason and get a huge contract but will he succeed in that system? Doubtful.

I'm not saying the players the Patriots allow to walk are not talented: if they weren't they wouldn't be on the field.

Time will tell, and the Cassel Bandwagon is overflowing and Brady's has no one at the moment other than Gisele. This isn't a bad thing for Patriots fans.

Afterall, what has happened in the past when people doubted Tom Brady?

Comments

[Boston Knucklehead]

Cassel will not be the next Brady. I will give him credit though he has come up in the rankings and he looks very strong and hungry for success but filling Brady's shoes will not be easy.