Breaking Down the Chiefs-Patriots Trade for Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel

Before former New England Patriots executive Jon Robinson started signing every ex-Patriot to a deal with the Tennessee Titans, former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli was doing the exact same thing in Kansas City.

After hiring Romeo Crennell and Charlie Weis as coaches, Pioli completed his New England makeover by trading for quarterback Matt Cassel, who performed admirably after Tom Brady was lost for the season with a knee injury in 2008.

In addition to Cassel, the Chiefs acquired future Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who would play two more solid seasons with the Chiefs before retiring. In exchange, New England received the No. 34 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, which was used on former Oregon safety Patrick Chung.

Cassel has two solid seasons in Kansas City, even making a Pro Bowl after throwing 27 touchdowns against just seven picks in 2010, but in 2011 everything came crashing down.

After Weis left for the Florida OC job, Cassel threw just 10 touchdowns against nine picks, eventually losing the starting job to the likes of Kyle Orton and the cringe-worthy Tyler Palko.

Cassel would bounce around the league as a backup and spot starter, playing with Minnesota, Buffalo, Dallas and Detroit before retiring. Chung, meanwhile, has been a star in New England for a decade, starting at safety for three Super Bowl championship teams.

Who Won The Trade?

While Cassel had some very nice moments for Kansas City, and Vrabel was a solid addition, Chung gives New England the slightest of edges in this deal. If you were to analyze this deal two years after it went down, the Chiefs would have made out like bandits. However, Cassel's flame burned out too quickly, while Chung has been a reliable presence in New England for 10 years.