“If I’m the New England Patriots, with the expectations for success they have, it’s something you have to think long and hard about,” former Denver Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist says. “They might think, ‘Yeah, Tom looks good coming back and he’s throwing the ball well,’ but look around and see how long it takes quarterbacks to get back where they need to be. Could they not spend their money anywhere else to ensure success with Matt on their roster? Is there a corner, wide receiver, defensive end or a combination of those that would ensure they will be in the thick of (the race) if Brady can’t go and Cassel’s not there? It’s a cost-opportunity question.”

Determining the opportunity — what New England can get in a trade — is another fluid issue.

“The quarterback position has so many dynamics,” Sundquist said. “You take a major risk because of the overall investment involved. What’s your cast surrounding him? How much are you putting toward him? You’re talking about a guy who had a fantastic year and emerged as a legit NFL quarterback, but you have to be wary.

“This is a tribute to New England, the culture of success and winning they have,” Sundquist pointed out. “If there was any place a young quarterback could emerge, develop and succeed, it would be New England. How much of Matt’s success was the system, the people and the process that propped him up to ensure success, and how much was it his natural ability that allowed him to blossom in 2008? That’s what GMs from other teams have to weigh.”

Cassel has said he understands that, if Brady’s ready, he returns to No. 2. “The Patriots have been Tom’s team. He’s built that franchise up with his own two hands. He’s the guy, and he was the MVP the year before. I realize that. He’s been such a mentor for me that I would say, ‘No, there is no quarterback competition.’”

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Asked at the Super Bowl about the franchise tag, he said, “The franchise tag is the franchise tag.”

And it wasn’t adopted as part of the 1993 collective bargaining agreement for teams to control backup players, says Richard Berthelsen, interim executive director of the NFL Player’s Association.

“The original intent of it was for a team to be able to keep most its important player,” Berthelsen said. “John Elway was the original guy (it was implemented for). Over the years it’s been used as much trying to get a bargain on a player. The original intent was for the marquee player on a team.”

Does the NFLPA have an issue with New England using the tag on a player who might spend 2009 holding a clipboard?

“The franchise rules are what they are,” Berthelsen said. “The team has to have a good faith intent of employing him and, at this point, they would.”

It’s a fascinatingly complex issue that, in the end, can benefit all sides. Cassel’s going to get paid plenty if he stays or goes. New England either has a terrific backup to step in if Brady has setbacks or gets pick-rich with a deal. And if a deal is done, some team in need of a capable quarterback gets that need satisfied. So it could be a win-win-win which, like the situation itself, doesn’t happen too often.

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