The New England Patriots announced today that they have designated quarterback Matt Cassel as their franchise player, becoming only the fourth player in team history to receive the designation. The team didn’t waste any time securing him contractually for next season; Thursday was the first day to apply the tag. It’s a hefty price tag against their 2009 salary cap, a one-year, $14.65 million salary. Of course, the Patriots can entertain trade offers for Cassel, who proved to be valuable insurance when Tom Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury. “Matt has been a pleasure to coach his entire career and last season in particular, when his years of hard work and commitment resulted in a most impressive performance,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. “We look forward to working with Matt again in 2009.” The three previous Patriots to be designated as franchise players are kicker Adam Vinatieri (2002 and 2005), safety Tebucky Jones (2003) and cornerback Asante Samuel (2007).
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