KC Chiefs: Former Quarterback Matt Cassel Traded To Buffalo Bills

By Leigh Oleszczak | Mar 4, 2015

Add another NFL team to the list for former KC Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel. The Minnesota Vikings traded Cassel to the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. The Bills traded away multiple undisclosed draft picks for the former Chief.

The Bills have made noise this week. Not only did they get their potential quarterback for the 2015 season and beyond in Matt Cassel, but on Tuesday the team traded away their young rising star Kiko Alonso to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy. It’s evident that Rex Ryan is wanting to take this team to the next level and he’s showing it with these moves.

I’ll be honest here. Cassel isn’t the type of guy who is going to win a team a Super Bowl. Kansas City Chiefs fans learned that the hard way when Cassel came to to Kansas City as the “next franchise quarterback”. Well, that didn’t pan out the best here, as Cassel was released after the 2012 season, but we did have some good times with Matt Cassel, right?

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His inaugural year in a Chiefs uniform wasn’t anything special, but his second year in Kansas City was the best of his career with 3,116 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions. Cassel led the Chiefs to a 10-5 record (the sixth loss was in the hands of backup Brody Croyle) and the Chiefs’ first AFC West division title since the 2003 season when Trent Green was the quarterback here. That’s pretty special. Cassel also was elected to his first Pro Bowl in 2010.

It was all downhill after the 2010 season though. There was so much positivity surrounding the team heading into the 2011 season, but the Chiefs started the season 0-3 (two of those games being blowouts) and after a few games, Cassel was placed on injured reserve after an injury to his hand.

That season was glorious though compared to 2012. Cassel played horribly and Chiefs fans had had enough of the Matt Cassel Project in Kansas City. Fans cheered when Cassel was injured against the Baltimore Ravens and also, a blimp was sent overhead at Arrowhead Stadium blasting Cassel and Scott Pioli (Kansas City’s general manager at the time) and saying Cassel should be benched.

Fans got their wish and Cassel was released months after the 2012 season came to a close. The Chiefs didn’t need Cassel’s services anymore, as they acquired Alex Smith from the San Francisco 49ers. That same day the Minnesota Vikings signed Cassel and he spent two seasons there. Cassel saw a fair amount of playing time with the Vikings, who continuously had a quarterback carousel going on between him, Christian Ponder, Josh Freeman, and later Teddy Bridgewater.

Matt Cassel will likely feel the need to prove Arrowhead Stadium wrong. He was booed there countless times and people cheered when he was injured. He’s going to want revenge and he’s going to have LeSean McCoy and a strong Bills defense to help him get that revenge.

As for how this affects the KC Chiefs, they host the Buffalo Bills in the 2015 season. This will be the eighth consecutive season in which these two teams have met, and honestly, I’m beginning to view the Bills as an honorary division rival because the Chiefs play them ALL THE TIME. In the seven previous match ups, Kansas City has gone 3-4 against Buffalo.

Kansas City has won the last two games against Buffalo, but Matt Cassel will likely feel the need to prove Arrowhead Stadium wrong. He was booed there countless times and people cheered when he was injured. He’s going to want revenge and he’s going to have LeSean McCoy and a strong Bills defense to help him get that revenge.

Cassel did seek a little bit of revenge during the 2014 preseason when he returned with the Minnesota Vikings to play at Arrowhead. That game consisted of the Vikings dominating the Chiefs. That’s just preseason though.

It’s worth noting that Cassel has always been injury prone so there’s a chance he might not even play in this game. That, and come on… It’s Matt Cassel. He was rated as the worst starting quarterback in the league last year by Ron Jaworski.

All jokes aside, I do like Matt Cassel. I know he wasn’t the right fit for the Kansas City Chiefs, but he led the team to their first AFC West division title in seven years. It’s hard to forget that.

Next: Could Andre Johnson Finish His Career With the Chiefs?

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