Chiefs' Pioli dipping a little too much into his Patriots past

What's next for Scott Pioli? Trading for Tedy Bruschi? Bringing back Corey Dillon? Asking Gisele if she'll dump Tom to be a Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader?

If it has New England Patriots ties, anything is possible.

Scott Pioli had a hand in the Pats drafting Matt Cassel in 2005. (Getty Images)

Pioli, the Chiefs' new general manager who came over from the Patriots, pulled off his second trade in two days for a New England player Saturday when he acquired quarterback Matt Cassel from the Patriots. This deal comes one day after Pioli traded for 33-year-old linebacker Mike Vrabel.

Actually, it's all one big trade -- just spread out over two days of negotiations.

The price is right for Kansas City. They gave up a second-round pick in this year's draft for both players.

But what are they getting?

In a span of two days, Pioli lands a linebacker who doesn't run that well and a quarterback who could very well be a one-hit wonder.

Could Cassel be another Scott Mitchell? The Chiefs better hope like heck he's not.

The issue for me isn't the compensation. A second-round pick is fair. It might even be a steal considering the Houston Texans gave up two second-round picks to get Matt Schaub two years ago and A.J. Feeley was traded to the Miami Dolphins a few years back for a second-round pick.

The concern for me is that the Chiefs now have to give Cassel a new contract. He signed his franchise tender with the Patriots for $14.65 million, but you can bet that is getting torn up for a new deal. Why trade for a guy who can be an unrestricted free agent next season if there is an uncapped season? I have a sneaky suspicion that a new deal has been worked out -- otherwise Cassel has all the leverage.

The terms of a new deal would likely be more than the six-year, $60 million the Jacksonville Jaguars gave to David Garrard last spring.

For that big money, the Chiefs are getting a quarterback who was almost cut by the Patriots last summer. Cassel had a touchdown-less preseason on his 17 possessions and nearly lost his job to Matt Gutierrez. Experience was the reason he stayed.

Now after one season he's a starter in Kansas City with a fat contract.

I understand the thinking. The new regime wants its guy at quarterback. New coach Todd Haley is a big believer in the passing game. As for Vrabel, the Chiefs set an NFL record for fewest sacks in a season with 10 in 2008. Plus, Vrabel is a good locker-room guy.

Cassel played well when Tom Brady went down in the opener. The most impressive thing was that he improved as the season went along. Cassel threw 21 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions for the season, but had 14 touchdown passes and four interceptions in the final eight games. He also averaged 265 passing yards per game in those final eight games.

Did he get better? Yes. Is it a sign he is a franchise passer? No. It could mean he was a product of a damn good offense, which some scouts insist.

I do like Cassel. I saw him play live twice last season and both times came away impressed. He was accurate, he got rid of the ball and he spun his head, which is a must for NFL quarterbacks.

But I have to ask: Is there that much difference between Cassel and Tyler Thigpen, the Chiefs' starter last year?

Over his final eight games, Thigpen, in his first season as a starter, threw 13 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. He averaged 227.5 yards passing in those games.

He also was playing for a bad team. Pioli was asked about Thigpen last week at the scouting combine.

"I haven't sat down with Tyler," Pioli said. "We can watch and evaluate players only so much on film. You don't fully understand the system or all the situations or the circumstances during the games. You evaluate them to the best of your knowledge."

He must have evaluated him enough to know he needed a franchise quarterback. In doing so, he turned to someone he knew.

Next up: The Chiefs make a deal for Bill Belichick's hoodie.