Matt Cassel: The Next Tom Brady?

The old saying is lightning doesn't strike the same spot twice. In this case, I think it may have.

Matt Cassel is the next Tom Brady.

I know most of you reading this will just say that I'm another New England Patriots homer and this is just wishful thinking.

Well, I am a die hard Jacksonville Jaguars fan.

But Cassel has impressed me these past few weeks and has convinced me that he is a pro bowler this year and he could be a MVP candidate with a good finish to the year.

After Brady went down everyone, including me, thought the Pats were done. Just like when Drew Bledsoe went down in 2001 (even though they weren't that good to start with.) But instead of losing or winning despite of Cassel, they are winning because of Cassel. Just like in 2001 with Tom Brady.

Now I'm not saying Cassel is going to end up winning a MVP and three Super Bowls and two Super Bowl MVPs. It is way too early for that.

But maybe the Tom Brady era in New England could be coming to a close. I am not predicting that this will happen, but it very well could.

I see three possibilities that could happen: one, Cassel signs elsewhere as a free agent, gets paid tons of money and becomes a franchise QB. This is the most likely thing that will happen.

Two, Cassel gets franchised by the Pats because of Tom Brady's knee and they have a competition for the QB spot. If this happens I do not see the starting job going right back to Tom Brady, because it would take around $14 million, yes $14 million, to franchise a QB this offseason, and unless you are the Dallas Cowboys you do not spend $14 million on a backup QB.

The last possibility is the Pats giving Cassel a huge contract and trade away Brady. Now when you first read this it sounds crazy, but when you think about it, it starts to make a little sense.

Now I do not know how much Brady is being paid, but he is getting paid more than Cassel would, and this will free up some cap space for the Pats, maybe to sign Brandon Jacobs. And Brady has already had multiple operations on his knee.  

Another reason why they may do it is because it worked for them a few years back why not do it again?

All I know is Cassel is doing pretty well for a college backup.