Matt Cassel

Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL draft. He played college football at USC. A journeyman quarterback throughout his career, Cassel has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, and Detroit Lions.

Cassel became the Patriots’ starting quarterback after Week 1 of the 2008 season after then reigning NFL MVP Tom Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury. In February 2009, the Patriots used their franchise tag on Cassel, extending him a one-year contract worth over $14 million, the largest one-year contract for an offensive player in NFL history. Later that offseason, the Patriots made a trade which sent Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs, who signed him to a 6-year, $62.7 million contract in July 2009. In 2010, Cassel led the Chiefs to their first AFC West divisional championship in seven years and earned a Pro Bowl selection in the process. He played only partial seasons as the Chiefs starting quarterback as injuries limited his playing time in 2011 and 2012. After the Chiefs cut him in the 2013 off-season, he signed with the Vikings. Coming off of the bench, he earned his way to the Vikings starter in 2013, but additional injuries cut his 2014 season short after only three games. He was traded by the Vikings to the Buffalo Bills for the 2015 season, however, the Bills traded him to the Dallas Cowboys after only three games. While with the Cowboys, he served a back-up role, starting several games in place of the injured Tony Romo. After being released by the Cowboys following the 2015 season, he spent 2016 and 2017 as a back-up for the Tennessee Titans and served a similar role in 2018 for the Detroit Lions.