NFL 2009 Offseason: What Will the New England Patriots Do with Matt Cassel?

So what will the Patriots do with quarterback Matt Cassel?

Brady will be back this year after he was injured and didn't play for the remainder of the season in Week One of last season, a 17-10 victory for New England over Kansas City.

That means that Brady will probably get the start for the Pats in the upcoming 2009-2010 season.

If so, and if Cassel isn't traded, Cassel would resume his role as Brady's backup. Cassel is certainly a top-15 QB, and, even though he would be good insurance for New England if Brady got injured again, trading Cassel could land them several players or another star in return.

There have been several reports that the Patriots, who franchised Cassel, intend to keep him next season. But Cassel would also be great trading material, too.

Let's look at the Patriots' options.

1. Keep Cassel

Cassel would definitely be the Patriots' best option if Tom Brady were injured again.

Matt had a 63.4 percent completion rate, had nearly 3,700 yards, and threw 21 touchdowns compared to just 11 interceptions in 2008. He led the Patriots to an 11-5 record in the AFC East, in which last-place Buffalo finished 7-9.

Even though he missed the playoffs, the Patriots were a good team all year long.

Brady was injured seriously very early in the season last year. If that is a sign that he will begin to have health difficulties, not to mention that he may have passed his prime age already too, Cassel could be a solid QB to fill in for him.

However, Cassel's contract expires this offseason, and it's going to much more costly for the Patriots to keep him than it has been for them in the last four seasons.

2. Trade Cassel

This seems like a very interesting situation to me. It seems more likely that the Patriots will keep Cassel, because of the franchise tag rumors, but a trade could be very, very interesting for NFL fans around the league.

If I were the Patriots, I may very well re-sign Cassel as Brady's backup for next season, but even so, I would put him up on the trading block beforehand and see what the Patriots could get for him in return.

The NFL is currently a little short on solid quarterbacks and a little overflowing with decent running backs, so a good QB like Cassel is probably worth more than a RB such as Sproles from San Diego (which is another interesting story: keep Sproles or trade him?).

So let's take a look at who the Patriots may be able to get in return for Cassel in a trade, and which teams they'd get it from.

Minnesota Vikings

An obvious choice for a team that desperately needs a quarterback. Frerotte and Jackson split the starts last season at QB, and neither did anything noteworthy. Even though the Vikings were a playoff team at 10-6, the running game was the base of their offense.

The Vikings running back situation is very much like the Patriot's quarterback situation. Two good players with only one spot to fill. Peterson is the starter, but like Brady, he has frequent injury issues. Taylor is currently backup, but could easily be traded if necessary.

Vikings get...QB Cassel

Patriots get...QB Jackson, RB Taylor

With Jackson, the Patriots would have a decent backup, and Taylor could easily be a starting RB.

For the Vikings, its very simple—a much-needed quarterback (and a fairly good one, too).

Miami Dolphins

Pennington likely had a surprise season at QB for the Dolphins, and the running game was slowing down towards the end of the season. This Miami offense is probably heading steeply downhill if they don't do something this offseason.

Dolphins get...QB Cassel

Patriots get...RB Ronnie Brown, possible fourth-sixth round draft pick

Carolina Panthers

We may all be way overreacting to Jake Delhomme's horrid performance in the Panther's first playoff game against the Cardinals, but then again, we may not be.

Carolina is another team with an overload at running back. They had the third-best rushing yards in '08-'09, averaging over 152 ypg! The Panthers are likely to keep starter DeAngelo Williams, but rookie backup Jonathan Stewart averaged 4.5 yards per rush and had 10 touchdowns over 17 games.

The Panthers also have former-Oakland starting QB Josh McCown at third string. McCown may not be a star (or anywhere close to one), but he could provide a little replacement for Cassel as Brady's backup.

Panthers get...QB Cassel, sixth-seventh round draft pick

Patriots get...RB Jonathan Stewart, QB Josh McCown

New York Jets

A possibility, but very unlikely. The Jets are in the Patriots own division, and they probably would not like to play Cassel's team twice a season. And the Jets don't have much to give for him.

New York does need a replacement for [hopefully] retiring Brett Favre.

Tennessee Titans

Kerry Collins may have had an uncharacteristically-good season last year, and he's getting really old, too. His contract has expired, and I doubt the Titans will pay to keep a 39-year-old QB.

But I sure wouldn't want Vince Young or Chris Simms as my starter.

San Francisco 49ers

This could be a fairly good team next year if they do end up with Cassel. Singletary did a fantastic job with them for the second half of last season, and this is another team who may want Cassel so they can really be a contender next season.

49ers get....QB Matt Cassel

Patriots get...QB Shaun Hill, second-third round draft pick

OR

49ers get....QB Matt Cassel

Patriots get...RB DeShaun Foster (currently backup to Frank Gore), third-fourth round draft pick

Personally, I think it's down to either keeping Cassel or trading him. If they do trade Cassel, I think that either Minnesota, Miami, Carolina, or San Francisco will get him.

What do you think? Will the Pats keep or trade Cassel. If they trade him, where? And for what?

And also, if I left something important out, or you know an interesting fact that could be interesting to add to the article, post me a note on my bulletin board or comment below and I may add it in.