And so the "Matt Cassel to KC" Rumors Begin...

[FloridaMan88]

As if they hadn't started already...

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/f...&position=also


Matt Cassel draws interest


TAMPA - They might not have been one of the two Super Bowl participants last night, but the Patriots [team stats] still generated a lot of talk on Radio Row during the week.

With Matt Cassel making the rounds, there was plenty of speculation on how much interest he would draw should the Pats apply the franchise tag and then trade him.

The pundits’ top pick to land Cassel in that scenario is Kansas City. Obviously, the Scott Pioli factor weighs heavily in that choice, with the Pats former vice president of player personnel now calling the shots for the Chiefs.

“I’d really look at Pioli down there in Kansas City. Why wouldn’t he want him?” Sirius NFL radio analyst Jim Miller said. “He knows what the kid is capable of doing. So I think he’d be on their radar.”

Miller, like most analysts, doesn’t see the crop of quarterbacks in this year’s NFL Draft as particularly appealing. That boosts the draw for Cassel, especially if Pioli decides he’s not satisfied with the collection of QBs he inherited after taking over the job.

“I don’t think this is a strong quarterback draft. Everybody is saying Matthew Stafford of Georgia and Mark Sanchez of USC are going to go in the Top 10. I don’t believe that,” Miller said. “I don’t think those guys are ready. And I don’t think you’ll see the type of success guys like Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco had. They just haven’t played enough. So I can’t see teams wanting them.

“But if Kansas (City) were to make that deal, that’s their Matt Ryan. That’s their Joe Flacco. Unlike a Sanchez, for instance, they know he’s playing at a starter’s level. So to them, I think it’d be worth it to do. They’d get their starting quarterback, they know what he’s capable of doing, and they’ve seen him win games at the NFL level.”

Other experts, meanwhile, aren’t sure Pioli would want to deal with his former boss right out of the gate.

Some other teams figuring to make a pitch for Cassel include the New York Jets, Detroit, Minnesota, San Francisco, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Chicago.

As for what Cassel would land in a trade, there were differing opinions. Miller, for one, thought he would cost a second-round draft choice.

The decision to trade or keep Cassel will ultimately depend on Tom Brady [stats]’s health. While reports have him on target to play in the season opener, he still has a few hurdles to clear before that point following reconstructive surgery on his left knee and a subsequent staph infection.

“I think a lot is going to depend on where Kevin O’Connell is in his development. If they feel they can move Matt to benefit their team, they’ll do it,” said Miller, a one-time Pats backup quarterback. “It’s rolling the dice on Tom and whether he’s healthy, and two, can they do it with Kevin O’Connell? The question they have to ask is if O’Connell is as capable of what they have in Matt Cassel?”