3 most disappointing trades in KC Chiefs history

3. Dealing for Matt Cassel

It’s the risk that every general manager must take, the move to get a new quarterback for a pro football franchise.

If a team is hiring a new GM, then it’s likely that the one position they are not set at is quarterback, which is why it’s the signature transaction for every general manager (and why some of them are so hesitant to make such a move—e.g. watching George Paton take Patrick Surtain in the draft instead of Justin Fields for the Broncos this past spring). When Scott Pioli arrived from New England to take over as Chiefs’ GM, it was seen as an excellent hire and Pioli decided to make his big splash by going with a familiar face.

Here’s the thing: Matt Cassel wasn’t even a starting quarterback at the University of Southern California when he attended there (yeah, he had 33 total attempts in four years in college). The Patriots spent a 7th round pick on him and sat him behind Tom Brady for a few years until the GOAT went down with an injury. In 2008, Cassel, in the last year of his rookie deal, won 10 games and took the league by storm. Suddenly the Pats had a decision to make on Cassel’s future—whether to franchise him or trade him.

With Pioli newly installed, he swapped the Chiefs’ second-round pick (No. 34 overall) to the Pats for Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel. Cassel was then signed to a six-year deal worth $62+ million (good money in those days).

This deal is one of the worst in K.C.’s history for a couple of reasons. First, Cassel never worked out and lasted only four seasons in K.C. in a stretch that was one of the most miserable in franchise history. The deal itself wasn’t that expensive for a reach for a franchise quarterback—just a single second-round pick—but it locked the Chiefs into below-average quarterback play for those years and the Chiefs would suffer for it. Vrabel was an aging cherry on top who provided sound Super Bowl experience and leadership—which apparently doesn’t win games in the end.

As for the second round pick, the Pats grabbed Patrick Chung who has spent largely a decade in New England’s secondary. Other players taken at that point or after in the round include LeSean McCoy, James Laurinaitis, Jairus Byrd, and Max Unger.