The Facts: The first order of business for the Vikings is the 2014 option on Cassel's contract. That decision will happen in two stages over the next six weeks or so, but the first deadline comes this week.

Diehards Line: Cassel can void his 2014 contract by Friday. If he doesn't, the Vikings have until the seventh day of the league year in March to decide whether to cut him or pay him a $500,000 roster bonus. He would have a $3.15 million base salary and a $50,000 workout bonus, bringing his total compensation (without incentives) to the same $3.7 million figure he made in 2013. ... ESPN.com's Ben Goessling's best guess is that Cassel will stick with the Vikings in 2014, given the fact he might have a chance to at least begin the year as the starting quarterback. He's essentially getting paid like a backup quarterback, but he seems like a good fit for Norv Turner's offense, given how well he fared when throwing downfield last season and he might choose to stay with a team that looks like it could have some weapons, particularly if Cordarrelle Patterson continues to develop. Either way, Goessling expects Christian Ponder to move on via trade, leaving Cassel as a possible bridge to any rookie QB the team might acquire in the draft.