FROM MIKE REISS OF THE BOSTON GLOBE… There is a strong possibility the Patriots will trade Cassel, though Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not indicate that as an option in his comment in today’s press release. "Matt has been a pleasure to coach his entire career and last season in particular, when his years of hard work and commitment resulted in a most impressive performance," said Belichick. "We look forward to working with Matt again in 2009." Today was the first day teams can designate franchise and transition players. The 26-year-old Cassel, who made 15 starts after Brady’s injury, completed 63.4 percent of his passes and threw for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He becomes the first offensive player and just the fourth Patriot to be franchised by the team, joining Adam Vinatieri (2002 and 2005), Tebucky Jones (2003) and Asante Samuel (2007).

Now the interesting part of the Matt Cassel saga begins. The Patriots, as we told you a month ago, would take this step, but now the drama is about to unfold. Clearly, the Patriots want more than the low third-round compensatory pick they would have received from the NFL. Who will be the major players in this sweepstakes? Here is an educated guess.