I reached the conclusion that the primary reason why the Patriots traded QB Matt Cassel and LB Mike Vrabel for Kansas City's second round pick was to free up more money under the salary cap. The latest rumor I heard is after Denver was contacted by one team about a three-way trade, they called the Patriots offering the 13th pick overall for Cassel.
Based on value, it's a better trade, but only freed up the franchise tag money. Including Vrabel was an additional $4 million and change.
And it didn't take long for New England to put some of that money to use. Soon after the trade, they re-signed S James Sanders and G Russ Hochstein.
Now they couldn't keep everybody. WR Jabar Gaffney, RB LaMont Jordan, and LS Lonnie Paxton were awarded new contracts elsewhere. Of course the Pats aren't sitting free agency out. RB Fred Taylor should be an upgrade over Jordan, and TE Chris Baker is a reliable target that should fit in well in the offense.
What's next for the team? They apparently talked with former Detroit Lion WR Mike Furrey. He would be an ideal fit as a third wide out. Also brought in have been CB Chris Carr and QB Patrick Ramsey. And with a gaping hole at OLB, there's a rumor that DE/OLB Jason Taylor, recently released by Washington, is generating interest from the Pats.
Who would had thought the Patriots could get better at OLB after trading Vrabel?
Keywords: Chris Baker, Fred Taylor, Jabar Gaffney, James Sanders, LaMont Jordan, Lonnie Paxton, Matt Cassel, Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots, Russ Hochstein
