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.
