Chiefs sign Cassel to multi-year deal

The Chiefs announced today that they have signed fifth year QB Matt Cassel to a contract extension. ESPN among others are saying it is a 6 year deal worth $63 million. While NFL contracts are different than those of Major League Baseball especially in that they rarely seem to run the course. Deals like these are never fully guaranteed and often are renegotiated. Having said that it is apparent that much of Scott Pioli's success will rest on Matt Cassel showing that he is indeed a franchise type QB. My biggest concern with Cassel is that he basically has been a backup back since High School with just last year getting any real playing time since he was an 18 year old HS senior. Now he did play well in that he led the Patriots to an 11-5 record as a replacement for Tom Brady due to a season ending injury to my beloved Chiefs in last years opening game. Of course Scott Pioli may have led the Patriots to the same record if he was the replacement. That was one of histories great franchises that he was handed the keys to. He obviously will not have anything at all similar to the same talent in KC for 2009. So in my mind I worry that he may not be that franchise QB that this team has not had since the days of Len Dawson which ended over 30 years ago. Even with the Patriots he was sacked an alarming 47 times last year, this was the same line that gave up just 21 the previous season. Hard to imagine the Chiefs line protecting him as well as the Patriots line, so he must get rid of the ball quickly or it will be a short 2009 season for him. Of course the Chiefs new coaching staff knows this and I am sure are working with him on this. He also was not particularly effective in the red zone with less than a 44% completion rate which was better than only 5 teams last year.