Matt Cassel
Cassel with the Minnesota Vikings in 2013 | |||||||||||||
| No. 16, 7, 8 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | May 17, 1982 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Chatsworth (Los Angeles) | ||||||||||||
| College: | USC (2001–2004) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2005: 7th round, 230th pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He was a member of seven NFL teams, most notably the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. Cassel played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL draft. Since retiring, he has served as a television football analyst on NBC Sports Boston, as well as Big Ten and Notre Dame college football games on NBC and Peacock.
Cassel began his career as a backup to Tom Brady until Brady suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of 2008. During his lone season as the Patriots' starter, Cassel helped them obtain a 11–5 record, but missed the playoffs. He was traded to the Chiefs the following year, playing there from 2009 to 2012. Cassel's most successful season was in 2010 when he led the Chiefs to their first division title since 2003 and earned Pro Bowl honors. After leaving Kansas City, Cassel had a brief stint with the Minnesota Vikings before spending the rest of his career as a backup for the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, and Detroit Lions.