The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... To the extent that the status of Cassel as a potential starter in Minnesota depends on what the team will pay him, the answer is, well, unclear. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Cassel signed a one-year, $4 million contract. That’s $3.5 million less than he would have earned with the Chiefs in 2013.
Diehards Line:But current starter Christian Ponder signed a four-year, $10.15 million deal in 2011, a slotted contract based on the new rookie wage scale. So Cassel is making more money than Ponder. Which means there’s a chance he’ll be viewed as having a chance to win the job. As PFT's Mike Florio suggests, it would still be odd for the Vikings to scrap Ponder after only two full seasons. Besides, plenty of backups make more money than young starters with slotted rookie deals.