Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel, or as we refer to the long-time understudy in my keeper league, "Goddamn Matt Cassel," couldn't have orchestrated a better time for Ton Brady to get injured, as Cassel's contract expires at the end of this season. Rumor has it that Cassel will be seeking "Aaron Rodgers money," which doesn't necessarily mean a large check waiting in the green room all by itself. From Adam Schefter's blog:
For starters, Cassel and Rodgers have the same agent, David Dunn. They also have started almost the exact number of games after taking over their jobs from legendary quarterbacks this season. And once they did, the two quarterbacks have posted similar numbers.[...] Cassel might not be as productive as Rodgers so far, but he is not far from. So if Rodgers got an average of close to $11 million per year, Cassel is expected to be anywhere in the $6-to-$10 million per year range, depending on how he finishes the season.
I can think of about ten thousand better ways to piss away ten million dollars (one of them involves power tools, thirty pounds of cocaine, and Michael Irvin), and I can't imagine any team is going to pony that up. First of all, Cassel has been able to overcome his lack of pro experience with his familiarity of Belichick's system, which he's been learning since 2005. He won't enjoy that benefit with a new team. Secondly, those shitty teams that need a QB (San Francisco, Kansas City, Detroit) won't be shelling out that kind of money. They're shitty for a reason...okay, a handful of reasons, but one of those is their total absence in the free agent market. Look, Matt. There's nothing wrong with re-upping with the Pats for the minimum and riding Brady's jock for two or three more rings. You can be America's Favorite Backup Quarterback, or get pummeled in Detroit. Easy choice, really.