February 5th, 2009 
Matt Loede 
Posted in 
There’s been plenty of talk about the Pats dealing or not dealing Matt Cassel for that matter. Now though it’s being reported that there is no question that the Pats will franchise Cassel soon, taking him for all intensive purposes off the free agent market. Today’s Boston Globe states that the franchise tag could come as early as today:
The question no longer seems to be if the Patriots will designate quarterback Matt Cassel their franchise player, but when. It could come as early as today. NFL teams can use the franchise tag – which helps retain top players and limits a player’s ability to fully experience free agency – on one player today through Feb. 19. The thought of Cassel as a franchise player seemed far-fetched Sept. 7, when he replaced the injured Tom Brady in the season opener. At the time, some wondered if he was even a reliable No. 2 quarterback, let alone a serviceable starter.
The Pats don’t want Cassel to leave for nothing, and by putting the franchise tag on him, they would get two first-round draft picks if a team signs Cassel to a deal and the Pats don’t match the deal that another team throws at him.
