In a move that truly bring Cassel full circle, Cassel is now a member of Bernard Pollard’s Kansas City Chiefs. Cassel should send some of the signing bonus he will get over to Bernard, the man who launched Cassel’s rise to stardom.
This was a deal among friends. Belichick rewarded Pioli for staying in New England when he has had numerous opportunities to leave prior to this off-season.
The Bucs, Lions and Broncos were all interested in Cassel. There was a demand for his services. The demand for Cassel was large, and large enough that the Broncos thought Cassel to be a better option than pro bowler Jay Cutler. Whether they just wanted to block the Chiefs trade and keep Cassel out of their division or truly had interest in making him a Bronco is debatable at this point. Now there is a mess in Denver and Cutler might not be the type to just let it pass.
In the end, barring a deal that was far and away better than what the Chiefs could offer, Cassel was going to be a Chief. Word is that the Lions even offered 
the 33rd pick but the Patriots went ahead an made the deal with the Chiefs for the 34th overall pick.
Sure there could be other reasons for why the Patriots went with the Chiefs over the Lions such as the thinking that a Cassel lead Bronco team is a AFC power. Also, maybe the Lions wouldn’t take Vrabel’s salary on.
On that note, it’s unclear why the Patriots wanted to move Vrabel. It’s a move that now seems to be a bizarre and unnecessary dumping of salary. Because of this, I believe Belicheck “gave” the aging Vrabel up to Pioli to help lead the Chiefs defense this season. It also give the Patriots more reason to get younger at the linebacker position.
Who says Belichick isn’t a nice guy? Pioli now has a general to lead both his offense and defense. He’s sharing the wealth.
So, let’s see… Not only did the ridiculous Chiefs-Patriots trade sour Josh McDaniels’ relationship with Jay Cutler, it also screwed over Eric Mangini and the Browns, who are now probably out of the running for Aaron Curry. Bill Belichick killed two former coordinators with one stone. The man is a genius.