Matt Cassel

[King James]

1 step closer to Ponder being the starter next year...my nightmare continues.

LOL I told you this might happen. I wasn't trolling.

[HornedMessiah]

Can't blame Cassel for doing this. Smart move for him. Just puts the team in a bit of a bind but it's not really a huge deal. Like others have said, this is more about Matt wanting a better deal with the Vikes, rather than wanting to find a different team. I wouldn't do something crazy and give him a three year deal, though.

If Freeman has even the tiniest smidgeon of NFL ability left, the team will offer him a deal and he'd be wise to take it.

[PurpleHalo]

I wonder if he'd be available for anything less than a third round pick. The Eagles traded up to get him in R4 last year and Kelly is supposedly pretty high on him. His availability via trade might depend on what they plan to do with Vick. I've read that he may be released and Barkley might move into the #2 spot this season. He seems to be a part of the Eagles plans.

Anyway, it's an interesting idea but I'm not sure it would work well with your desire not to deviate from building through the draft. I guess it would depend on the nature of the trade (ie; if it was an exchange of players or an exchange of a pick, or picks, for Barkley).

That wouldn't be too much unlike building through the draft. When I say that I mean not overpaying for free agents, who are not the best at their position but get overpaid to be so. Trading a 3rd rounder for a young QB is really not that much different than drafting one. They only real difference is getting a 24 year old QB rather than 21-22, and you get a guy who knows the ropes a little, has some understanding of the speed of the NFL. I guess I just believe there are other Brett Favre types out there buried on benches, just needing a chance to play. And I have said many times, when you are as putrid as the Vikings have been at the position, every option should be explored. I find it maddening that this franchise hasn't taken this seriously enough to do everything and anything, if I owned the team heads would be rolling until I found someone that "gets it"! Until they do, they wont win, simple as that, about a 3rd of the NFL understands this, you seem them on TV in January year after year.

As good as Seattle is, they don't get to last Sunday with Ponder or Gabbert playing behind center. Great defense is good, but Wilson is pretty good in his own right.

[King James]

Maybe we can trade for Kirk Cousins???

[PurpleHalo]

Maybe we can trade for Kirk Cousins???

I would be willing to look at several young backups, but one must be drafted as well. Let Cassel go if he expects starter money, because he shouldn't be starting for long any ways. He wasn't being paid too bad, let him go be a backup somewhere.

[MrPurplenGold]

I would be willing to look at several young backups, but one must be drafted as well. Let Cassel go if he expects starter money, because he shouldn't be starting for long any ways. He wasn't being paid too bad, let him go be a backup somewhere.

I'm not sure why people are so infatuated with other team's backup quarterbacks, I can't think of one situation where that's worked out well for the other team. Just because that person is perceived as better than your current situation doesn't make it a good long term decision.

[Eli]

I'm not sure why people are so infatuated with other team's backup quarterbacks, I can't think of one situation where that's worked out well for the other team. Just because that person is perceived as better than your current situation doesn't make it a good long term decision.

The Vikings are in a bad spot, where they need both long term and short term solutions to the mess at quarterback. Hopefully, they can draft the long term solution. But counting on him to produce immediately could be suicidal and potentially throws away the next season or two waiting/hoping/praying for him to look like their next franchise quarterback. As they did with Ponder. It would be monumentally stupid to make the same mistake again.

[MrPurplenGold]

The Vikings are in a bad spot, where they need both long term and short term solutions to the mess at quarterback. Hopefully, they can draft the long term solution. But counting on him to produce immediately could be suicidal and potentially throws away the next season or two waiting/hoping/praying for him to look like their next franchise quarterback. As they did with Ponder. It would be monumentally stupid to make the same mistake again.

What backup QB traded to another team has made that team better? The Vikings have too many needs to spend a draft pick on a situation that historically has never turned out well for the team that traded for the backup QB.

Norv Turner did wonders for Cleveland's passing attack last year with nothing at QB. I would rather them pick up a free agent QB, keep Ponder and Draft a QB that has all the attributes they want in a QB as opposed to taking someone else's backup.

[Mothman]

That wouldn't be too much unlike building through the draft. When I say that I mean not overpaying for free agents, who are not the best at their position but get overpaid to be so. Trading a 3rd rounder for a young QB is really not that much different than drafting one. They only real difference is getting a 24 year old QB rather than 21-22, and you get a guy who knows the ropes a little, has some understanding of the speed of the NFL. I guess I just believe there are other Brett Favre types out there buried on benches, just needing a chance to play. And I have said many times, when you are as putrid as the Vikings have been at the position, every option should be explored. I find it maddening that this franchise hasn't taken this seriously enough to do everything and anything, if I owned the team heads would be rolling until I found someone that "gets it"! Until they do, they wont win, simple as that, about a 3rd of the NFL understands this, you seem them on TV in January year after year.

It frustrates me too because I'm another fan who has been saying for years that the team needs to explore every option to solve their QB issues.

You're right, Barkley is so young that trading for him wouldn't be that different from drafting a QB. It's really more a question of availability, cost, value, etc. I wonder what kind of grade the Vikes had him in the first place.

[PurpleHalo]

I'm not sure why people are so infatuated with other team's backup quarterbacks, I can't think of one situation where that's worked out well for the other team. Just because that person is perceived as better than your current situation doesn't make it a good long term decision.

Not infatuated with other teams backups, I would like them to take a look at some young ones who haven't played. Or would you rather take the same approach they have taken for basically eternity? Lets just draft one, hope he pans out, waste 3 years and find out he didn't. Kick the tires on as many as you can. But don't worry, there is no way this franchise will take that approach, it's why they don't win with the big boys.

[Mothman]

I'm not sure why people are so infatuated with other team's backup quarterbacks, I can't think of one situation where that's worked out well for the other team.

It depends on what you mean by "worked out well". Hasselbeck had a good career for the Seahawks and they reached a Super Bowl with him at QB. GB won a Super Bowl with Favre, who began his career as a backup in Atlanta. Brunell was a backup and ended up being a good QB for Jacksonville. There are a number of examples of backups going to other teams and becoming successful starters but I can't think of an example other than Favre in which a backup was acquired by another team to start and went on to win a Super Bowl.

Just because that person is perceived as better than your current situation doesn't make it a good long term decision.

I agree. There's a "grass is always greener" mentality, along with an understandable dose of desperation, that tends to be involved in a lot of the "trade for a backup" talk. Of course, that doesn't mean a trade for a backup couldn't work out...

[Mothman]

Per ESPN, Cassel has a history with the new Texans management. This could open up things for Michael Vick to come. That's the short of it http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/ ... s-for-vick.

I know that was just speculation but I hope the Vikings aren't even considering Vick as a viable option.

[Eli]

Saw speculation that Cassel might be trying to get an extra year on his contract as well.

An extra year on his contract wiith the Vikings? He could re-sign with the Vikings, but the reason would be for a substantial raise over the $3.7M that he would have earned.

Has anyone given much thought to how smart this contract was for Cassel and just how well he played Spielman? He was brought in to be a backup to Ponder, and was being paid backup QB money, but he made sure that he had an option on the second year. He said all the right things, but clearly saw the probability of starting at some point over a QB that everyone knew was a train wreck. And that's exactly what happened. Now, he'll capitalize on the gamble, possibly right back with the Vikings. The very worst that he can do is earn comparable money as a backup QB for another team.

[PurpleHalo]

Per ESPN, Cassel has a history with the new Texans management. This could open up things for Michael Vick to come. That's the short of it http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/ ... s-for-vick

Saw speculation that Cassel might be trying to get an extra year on his contract as well.

Vick please no, washed up was never really any good outside of 2011.

[Mothman]

just curious, would object more for on field or off field reasons?

At this point, I'd say it's about a 50/50 split. At one point, it would have been more for off field reasons but now, I just don't believe he has much to offer on the field either. He's an injury-prone QB who is well past his prime and I never thought he was all that great as a passer in the first place. His completion percentage has been in steady decline for 3 seasons. When you throw in his past off-the-field, he becomes a complete non-option for me. I'm hard-pressed to think of a decision the Vikings could make that would alienate me more than signing Vick.