The Minnesota Vikings gave up their most explosive player on the team when they traded wide receiver Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks for draft picks and while that left a big hole on the offense, the team could try to fill it with Matt Cassel, as he was released by the Chiefs on Thursday.
According to ESPN.com, the Vikings could be interested in adding Cassel as a backup, as they previously have said that Joe Webb will need to win back his job behind starter Christian Ponder. Cassel also could provide insurance in case Ponder gets hurt again like he did last year.
Cassel had a rough season in Kansas City after going just 1-7 before getting injured and replaced and he could be a solid backup for the Vikings or the Bears, as they have Jason Campbell as a free agent. Webb has been solid behind Ponder the past two years, but he has a lot to prove to keep his spot.
"I still have confidence in Joe," Frazier said. "I feel like he had a tough situation to go into and I'd like to see him compete with whatever we end up doing there, be it a veteran guy or if we draft a guy. But we definitely need to solidify that position and feel good about whoever would have to step up if something were to happen to Christian [Ponder]."
Webb was forced to start in the playoffs after Ponder was hurt and the team lost to the Packers, but that was not all on Webb. Cassel played in just nine games last season and 1,796 yards passing with six touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Cassel became expendable in Kansas City after the team traded for Alex Smith and it was likely Andy Reid wanted to start over once he took over the job. Cassel signed a large six-year contract with the team after he was traded from the Patriots and was a disappointment after taking the team to the playoffs in his first season, as they went just 2-14 last year.
The Chiefs have brought in a number of players and are expected to improve, while the Vikings offloaded Harvin and now are looking at Greg Jennings as a possible replacement. Cassel was solid in his one year starting in New England before coming to the Chiefs, playing in all 16 games and passing for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns while completing over 60 percent of his passes.
The Vikings were one of the lowest rated passing teams in the NFL and even if Ponder doesn't get hurt, Cassel could compete with him for the starting job next season since he didn't exactly wow everyone last year.
