In a widely anticipated move, the Patriots hit Matt Cassel with the Franchise Tag today. It was the first day NFL teams could use the Franchise designation and the Patriots wasted no time.
New England can now match any offer Cassel gets from another team, but if they choose not to they will be compensated with two first-round draft picks. Once Cassel signs the tender the Patriots can either trade him or let him play 2009 with a higher cap number than Tom Brady.
Analysis
It is a bit surprising that the Pats tagged Cassel so quickly. In the past they have usually waited until the last possible moment before doing so.
So why did they not hesitate this year? It's our best guess that this will allow the maximum amount of time for other teams to get their ducks in a row, knowing what it will take to pry Cassel from the Pats. There can no longer be any speculation about Cassel's situation so the rest of the NFL can head into the Combine next week knowing they must be willing to part with draft picks if they want to acquire him.
With speculation that Tom Brady suffered another set back this week the value of controlling Cassel's fate cannot be understated. The Patriots now hold all the cards when it comes to their quarterback situation. If Brady looks like he will be ready to go by April the Pats can dangle Cassel as trade bait.
One thing is for sure though, any team that has to pay high draft choices for Cassel will want him on their team as soon as possible. If Brady's recovery is still murky by early summer the value on Cassel will be diminished, so expect something to happen by April if Cassel is going to end up on another team.
The Patriots have always been experts at navigating the tricky salary cap world so it's doubtful that keep Cassel for 2009 under such a high cap number would be crippling to them. Expect a couple veterans, like Mike Vrabel in particular, to redo their deal to give some more flexibility to the franchise for adding some Free Agents.
One thing is for sure, no Patriots fan ever would've predicted a year ago that Matt Cassel would be Franchise Tagged for 2009.
Keywords: Bill Belichick, Floyd Reese, Franchise Tag, Matt Cassel, New England Patriots
