Minnesota Vikings Matt Cassel is ready to compete for the starting quarterback position with the Minnesota Vikings after recently agreeing to a new 2 year $10 million contract. When he opted out of his previous contract, everyone assumed he wanted out of Minnesota. It couldn’t have been further from the truth. Cassel opted out of his contract because the second year wasn’t guaranteed.
Now, back in the fold and ready to compete for the starting position, Cassel is preparing like he will be the starter. Considering the way he played down the stretch last season, it’s easy to see why the Vikings brought him back and expect him to win the starting role.
Cassell recently talked about the free agency process and why he chose to sign with the Vikings without testing the open market. He credits the new coaching staff particularly head coach Mike Zimmer and offensive coordinator Norv Turner. Regarding coaches Zimmer and Turner, Cassel had this to say:
“Again, I think the decision to come back to the Minnesota Vikings there was a multitude of reasons behind it. I’m a big fan of Coach Zimmer. I think he does a phenomenal jobs with his defense and I’ve played against him a few times and it’s always difficult to prepare for somebody like that and also at the same time the hiring of Coach Turner and my familiarity with the personnel and the guys that we have and the potential that we have to be very explosive on the offensive side of the ball. I was excited about all of those factors.”
While Cassel considered testing the market, he ultimately decided Minnesota was the best fit for him:
“I considered it, but at the same time at the end of the day, as I said with all of those factors that came into play with the hiring of Coach Zimmer, Coach Turner, the great staff that they were able to compile to put together along with my familiarity with the players on the team, the weapons that we have on the offensive side of the ball and from a comfort level with my family and living in Minnesota and the people that we met. I think all of those things gave me all the influence that I needed to re-sign before I even went to the free agency market.
Cassel particularly looks forward to with Coach Norv Turner:
“I’m extremely excited about working with Coach Turner. I think that his resume speaks for itself. He’s had a lot of success throughout his tenure in the NFL with multiple teams and multiple quarterbacks. Obviously I had a chance to play against him when he was in San Diego and I was in Kansas City. The one thing you always knew about Coach is you’re going to make sure you score a lot of points because he’s going to take his shots and he does a phenomenal job of making mismatches with people inside, formationing people in different areas so you can get a great match up. I think it’s a very quarterback-friendly system and like I said, I think my skill-set really fits well in this system.”
Cassel has a comfort level with the new coaching staff particularly offensive coordinator Norv Turner because of the sustained success both have experienced in the league:
“I just think it’s a trust factor. I trust that he’s going to put you in a position to be successful because as you said his resume definitely will show that throughout his career that he’s going to put his quarterback in a great position to be successful along with everybody else on that offensive side of the field. Then you go in with that trust factor and then you obviously have to build that relationship and get to know him, how he likes to call the plays, how he sees the field, watching film and doing all of that stuff but at the same time it gives you a lot of confidence as a player knowing that hey, if I go in and do what I’m supposed to do than there’s a great possibility that I’m going to be very successful.”
Turner and Zimmer have made it clear Cassel is competing for the starting role and nothing is being handed to him. Cassel has yet to meet his new coaching staff but has had positive conversations with head coach Mike Zimmer. He understands what is expected of him and that he has to be prepared to compete. It is a task he relishes:
“I don’t think anybody has really talked about that but at the same time it’s a performance-based job. You’ve got to go out there, you’ve got to perform, you’ve got to compete. I’ve talked to Coach Zimmer on the phone and we’re all very optimistic about working with each other. At the same time, I’ve never had one practice with Coach Zimmer, so you’ve got to go in, you’ve got to earn your keep like it is every year in the NFL and that’s part of the business.”
While Cassel has never played for Turner, he feels he can learn his system quickly and that it fits his skill set well. While it sounds unbelievable, Cassel has had seven offensive coordinators in his six years in the league. His ability to learn new systems quickly in the past will serve him well in getting up to speed quickly in Turner’s new offense.
Finally, Cassel is happy he is back with the Vikings and ready to compete for the starting quarterback position. He is grateful for the second opportunity and looks forward to being back with the Vikings:
“I’m excited to be a Minnesota Viking. I’m excited to be back here with my teammates, guys that I was able to build relationships, rapport with. I’m very thankful to the Wilf family, to Rick Spielman, to Rob [Brzezinski], to all of the guys that went into making this decision, helping make this happen, and I’m excited to get to work and get started and win some football games.”
Congratulations to Matt Cassel on the new deal with the Vikings and good luck as you continue your playing career there.
