Quarterback Matt Cassel, the back-up to Tom Brady has been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs by the New England Patriots.
Chiefs pick-up Tom Brady's back-up from New England Patriots
Quarterback Matt Cassel, the back-up to Tom Brady has been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs by the New England Patriots, along with linebacker Mike Vrabel.
The Patriots gave Cassel the franchise tag guaranteeing him $14.65m by the Pats, who were seemingly unsure about Brady's fitness after he missed almost all of last season with a knee injury.
Cassel saw the first real action of his career when filling in for Brady, starting 15 games and completing 63.4 percent of his passes for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, to help the Patriots to an 11-5 record.
The news on Brady must be positive, as the Patriots have allowed Cassel to move to Kansas City, to join former Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli, who is now general manager of the Chiefs.
Pioli is trying to turn around the woeful Chiefs franchise, and has engineered the deal to bring Cassel to Arrowhead Stadium, in return for a second-round pick (34th overall) in the upcoming NFL draft.
History
"I have a long history with both players," Pioli told the team's website.
"Mike and Matt are men I respect personally and professionally. I look forward to having them as new members of the Chiefs family."
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick paid tribute to the departing Cassel, who he says he enjoyed watching him come of age last season.
"It is very easy to root for guys like Matt Cassel, who do everything the right way and flourish as a result," Belichick said in a statment.
"As much as we would have loved to continue working with Matt, we wish him nothing but the best as he takes this next step forward in his career."
Vrabel added
Cassel will join Tyler Thigpen and Bordie Croyle as quarterbacks with the Chiefs, and with Thigpen impressing at times last year Croyle could be about to make way.
Piolo has also brought in 12-year veteran linebacker Vrabel to beef-up a leaky Chiefs defence of a team that finished 2-14 last season.
34-year-old Vrabel won three Super Bowls with New England and made one Pro Bowl in 2007, and he also received kind words from Belichick.
"Mike Vrabel epitomizes everything a coach could seek in a professional football player: toughness, intelligence, playmaking, leadership, versatility and consistency at the highest level," he said.
