FanPost

Matt Cassel Contract - Still think it was a bad move by Pioli?



There's been a lot of debate here at AP regarding Matt Cassel's contract. My understanding is that it's about $28 million guaranteed over 6 seasons, with escalators pushing it up to a possible $63 million over that period...or anywhere between $5-$10 million per season, assuming that he's around for the full 6 seasons.

I tried to find some reliable information regarding the average starting NFL QB salaries, but couldn't get very far...with the way contracts are structured, it's surprisingly difficult to find a straightforward list of average salaries. In the end I'm just using the $5 million average this guy came up with. So essentially, Pioli is paying Cassel at an above average salary, but not an elite salary (which would be closer to $15m per season. Even if he becomes the best QB in the league (yeah, I know, that's above his upside) he won't be among the top paid QBs in the league. The worst case scenario is that he falls apart or has a career ruining injury this year, and he makes about $30-$35 million for a single season. That would obviously be an awful deal, but injuries are just a part of the risks associated with guaranteed contracts...it's an unavoidable risk in the NFL.

I know this has all been discussed repeatedly before, a lot of people believe that Cassel should not have been given the contract before proving himself with a 'less talented' Chiefs team, while others have said that he's proven that he can QB in the NFL with a good supporting cast, and therefore is more deserved of the contract than any big money rookie ever could be. Personally, I've been in the latter group, and after 7 games this season, I remain firm in my belief that it was a good decision. Cassel hasn't been great, but he's been very good considering the circumstances he has to deal with. He certainly doesn't have a lot of passing yards, but does have a 2:1 TD to INT ratio, which is quite good considering that teams are teeing off on him & he has zero running game. I think with his production with THIS team, he'd be commanding another franchise tag in the off-season & an even bigger contract. I think the majority of APers would not want to let him to walk.

There isn't much point to this post, other than to open up a controversial decision to discussion.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.