The Matt Cassel Trade: A Conspiracy Theory

Put on your tin foil hats because here is how the conspiracy transpired:

Pioli and the Patriots knew Pioli was going to get a general manager job in 2009.

Pioli knew whatever team was going to hire him would need a quarterback, and he wanted Cassel.

The Patriots did not want to keep Cassel and pay for two starting NFL quarterbacks if they were sure Brady was healthy.  However, if Brady was not healthy, they wanted to keep Cassel.

So at Piloi’s behest, the Patriots put the franchise tag on Cassel, which was a price tag Piloi was willing to pay regardless of which team hired him.

With Cassel franchised, this made Cassel unattractive to other teams since they would have to give up two first-round draft picks if they signed him. 

If a team did sign Cassel, great, they get two first-round picks as compensation.  If no team wanted to sign him, they already had a deal with Pioli.

This scenario bought the Patriots two more months to see how Brady was healing.  When free agency rolled around, they realized Brady was healthy, therefore, Cassel was no longer needed.  So, as per their original, furtive agreement, the Patriots traded Cassel to Pioli for a measly second-round pick.

This was all worked out between the two parties sometime in late December or early January. Chris Mortensen announced Cassel would be franchised on Jan. 4, and it became official on Feb. 5.  Pioli’s hiring was confirmed as Chiefs new general on Jan. 13, 2009.

While this article may seem like another anti-Patriot exegesis, these types of trades happen frequently, not only in the NFL but in all of professional sports.

Yet, these trades are greeted with zero complaints and complete lack of outrage.  

Two entities, with a wink and a nod, may have conspired to complete an unfair trade with major league-wide ramifications and no one seems to care.

An investigation by the league would be appreciated, but they will not find anything. How can you prove collusion in a league built on cronyism?

Still, it is hard to believe that this trade did not germinate while Pioli was still a Patriot. 

It is also tough to believe that Pioli does not owe his former team a big favor.

Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to have a smoke with the cigarette-smoking man and wait for the black helicopters to arrive.

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