Several news outlets, starting with the National Football Post, are reporting that the Patriots will franchise Matt Cassel and keep him as insurance against a setback in Tom Brady's recovery.
If that's true, it would mean the Patriots would have made up their minds awfully early in the offseason; they don't have to make the decision to use the franchise tag until Feb. 19, and free agency doesn't begin until Feb. 27.
And why would they make this sort of decision so early? There's only one plausible reason -- the Patriots already anticipate that Brady won't be ready to start the season next fall, so much so that they're willing to tie up 20 percent of their salary cap in the quarterback position.
The good news is that the franchise tender only guarantees a one-year contract, which means the Patriots won't have to pay Cassel after the 2009 season, when a slew of important contracts start to expire and will need extending.
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