Chiefs acquire Cassel, Vrabel in trade with Pats
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Scott Pioli left the New England Patriots to become Kansas City's general manager.
Quarterback
Matt Cassel and linebacker
Mike Vrabel are now coming with him.
After putting the franchise tag on Cassel as insurance for their two-time Super Bowl MVP, the Patriots shipped Cassel and linebacker Vrabel to Kansas City on Saturday. The Chiefs gave up shockingly little — the 34th overall pick in the April draft for both players.
The Chiefs have the third overall selection following a franchise-worst 2-14 season. In yielding their second-round draft choice, they acquire a reliable 12-year veteran linebacker and a proven young quarterback who could immediately fill one of their most urgent needs.
Starting quarterback Tom Brady's rehab of a severe knee injury was set back when an infection forced a second operation. By putting the franchise tag on Cassel, New England would have had to pay him $14.5 million to keep him as a backup.
Cassel hadn't started a game since high school but stepped in when Brady was hurt less than eight minutes into the season opener against Kansas City. He went on to throw for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns in 15 starts.
"It is very easy to root for guys like Matt Cassel, who do everything the right way and flourish as a result," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. "As much as we would have loved to continue working with Matt, we wish him nothing but the best as he takes this next step forward in his career."
Financial compensation on a new contract with Cassel has not been reached yet, a source told FOXSports.com.
The Patriots' 11-5 record kept them out of the playoffs, but Belichick and personnel director Scott Pioli were again hailed for their ability to reach deep into the draft and uncover a gem at quarterback. Brady was the 199th player drafted in 2000 and Cassel was a seventh-round pick in 2005.
Pioli was hired as general manager of the Chiefs in January. About a month later, the housecleaning began — he fired coach Herm Edwards and hired Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
Now comes this latest move, which will depend on Vrabel and Cassel passing their physicals.
"I have a long history with both players," Pioli said in a statement. "Mike and Matt are men that I respect both personally and professionally. I look forward to having them as new members of the Chiefs family."
The 33-year-old Vrabel was part of three Super Bowl-winning teams in his eight years with New England, primarily as an outside linebacker. He joins a team whose linebackers were devastated by injury and played poorly. The Chiefs are now counting on Vrabel's experience and leadership.
"Mike Vrabel epitomizes everything a coach could seek in a professional football player: toughness, intelligence, playmaking, leadership, versatility and consistency at the highest level," Belichick said. "Behind the scenes, Mike's wit and personality is one of the things we have all enjoyed about coming to work every day."
Tyler Thigpen, the first player from tiny Coastal Carolina to be drafted by the NFL, took over at quarterback last year after Kansas City's No. 1 and No. 2 went out with season-ending injuries. He proved so ineffective at managing the power running game, the Chiefs switched offenses and went to a college-type spread attack.
Occasionally, he was effective. Still, Thigpen lost 10 of the 11 games he started, throwing for 21 touchdowns and 2,994 yards.
Jets acquire CB Sheppard from Eagles
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NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Jets shored up their shaky secondary Saturday, acquiring two-time Pro Bowl cornerback
Lito Sheppard from the Philadelphia Eagles for undisclosed draft picks.
Sheppard, who spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Eagles, could immediately start in a Jets secondary that ranked 29th against the pass last year despite having Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis and playmaking safety Kerry Rhodes.
"We acquired a veteran corner with Pro Bowl ability," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "This young man has already gone to two Pro Bowls. He is a great athlete with the top-end speed that we look for to play that position. We think he can match up with some of the best receivers in the game."
Neither the Jets nor the Eagles announced terms of the deal, but Philadelphia will reportedly receive a fifth-round pick in April and a conditional pick in next year's draft.
Sheppard, 27, is a former first-round pick out of Florida in 2004 and '06, but saw his role reduced last season as he started only three games with Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown in the starting lineup.
"I am excited to be joining the Jets organization," Sheppard in a statement issued by the team. "It is a fresh new start, a new coach and a new system. I am looking forward to getting back to playing top-notch football and bringing a winning attitude with me."
When the Eagles acquired Samuel from New England last offseason, it appeared to pave the way for Sheppard to be traded. He also wanted a new contract, but Philadelphia didn't want to redo it - and found no suitable trade offers.
After giving up three touchdowns against Arizona on Thanksgiving, Sheppard was dropped from No. 3 to No. 5 on the depth chart. He then played mostly on special teams the rest of the season.
Still, Sheppard has a knack for making big plays. He has returned three of his 18 career interceptions for touchdowns and was the first player in NFL history with two such returns of more than 100 yards.
The deal was completed Saturday after New York re-signed guard Brandon Moore earlier in the day and signed former Baltimore linebacker Bart Scott on Friday.
The Jets could add a few more former Ravens after meeting with cornerback Corey Ivy on Friday and safety Jim Leonhard on Saturday.
New York re-signed Moore to a four-year, $16 million deal a day after Pittsburgh left guard Chris Kemoeatu turned down an offer from New York and returned to the Steelers.
"At the end of the day, when it was said and done, who did they come back to and who ended up there?" Moore said. "I ended up back with the team I wanted to be with. ... We worked it out at the end."
The 28-year-old Moore agreed to terms Friday after being cut Thursday by the Jets, who were due to pay the seven-year veteran a $7 million roster bonus under his former contract.
"When it happened, I wasn't bitter," Moore said. "I've played long enough and I've seen people come and go and I've listened to people's stories and I understand the business side of it."
Moore, considered the team's best run blocker, helped pave the way for Thomas Jones to lead the AFC in rushing last season. The Jets' entire offensive line will return this year, with Moore, center Nick Mangold, left guard Alan Faneca and tackles D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Damien Woody.
"You don't find that too often," Moore said. "Since I've been here, I've never followed a season where the whole line starts 16 games and it's the same guys returning the next season. ... That stuff goes a long way when it gets down to playing football."
Moore was signed by New York as an undrafted free agent defensive lineman out of Illinois in 2002 and was converted to an offensive lineman during training camp. He made his regular-season debut for the Jets in 2003, and has started 73 consecutive regular-season games at right guard since missing three games in the middle of the 2004 season because of an injury.
Broncos sign 7-time Pro Bowl safety Dawkins
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - Seven-time Pro Bowl safety
Brian Dawkins had a hard time not looking back Saturday after signing with the Denver Broncos following a 13-year run with the Philadelphia Eagles.
So raw were his emotions over leaving Philly that he only wanted to talk about Denver, yet it was obvious from his puffy eyes that he'd spent plenty of time and emotions pondering about what he had left behind.
To the Eagles' fans who relished his hard hits and big plays while he helped lead the team to five NFC championship games and a Super Bowl, Dawkins couldn't bring himself to say farewell.
"I'll have a time to really sit down and have a conversation with them, but they know it. I've absolutely enjoyed my time there, and this was a very, very, very emotional decision for me. Very emotional. I've been crying," Dawkins told The Associated Press on Saturday after signing what is essentially a two-year, $9 million deal. "I believe they know how I feel about them because I feel the same way about them."
Dawkins acknowledged his sadness was sparring with his joy.
"It's a day that kind of goes both ways," he said. "I don't really want to get into that too much. I'll handle that down the road in talking about the Philadelphia Eagles. Right now, I want to celebrate this."
Dawkins, who turns 36 next season, said he felt blessed to be going from one storied franchise to another.
"You can feel it. You can absolutely feel it," Dawkins said. "When I walk through the halls, you see the guys who have gone before us to Super Bowls and I see T.D. (Terrell Davis) on the wall. It makes me want to get back there. It makes me want to get back there in a hurry."
Although Dawkins is clearly on the downside of his career, he brings a hard-hitting style and leadership qualities coveted by new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, who was the New England Patriots offensive coordinator before replacing Mike Shanahan.
Dawkins said McDaniels told him he envisions his new savvy safety playing a role similar to what Rodney Harrison did in New England.
Dawkins said McDaniels, 32, was a terrific recruiter.
"Very bright, very enthusiastic of what the vision is for this team: not winning later, not building anything, but starting and winning right away," Dawkins said. "I bought into it. I drunk the orange Kool-Aid."
The Broncos also signed former Indianapolis Colts special teams standout Darrell Reid to a three-year, $6.8 million contract, agent Blake Baratz said.
McDaniels, who has signed a bevy of other free agents, including Miami safety Renaldo Hill, targeted Dawkins as the big fish in his first free agent class.
"He's exactly what the Denver Broncos are looking for," McDaniels said.
The Eagles praised Dawkins and thanked him for all he gave the organization.
"Brian Dawkins has been one of the pillars of this franchise for 13 years," Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie said. "Brian embodies everything you look for in a professional athlete and human being. I have been fortunate to witness his impeccable character, his passion for the game of football and his commitment to being the best player he could be.
"I look forward to continuing a close relationship with him once his playing days are over. His legacy as an Eagle will last forever and will ultimately land him in Canton as a Hall of Famer."
Although Dawkins has had just two interceptions in his last 32 games, his passionate play helped the Eagles salvage a teetering season last year and reach the conference title game for the fifth time in eight seasons.
"Brian is one of the best players in franchise history and one of the most popular players to ever play in the city of Philadelphia," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "... He gave this city 13 years of emotional, energetic football. We wish Brian and his family nothing but the best as he continues his career in Denver."
Dawkins said his big move dawned on him when he arrived at Dove Valley Saturday morning to put his signature on a five-year, $17 million contract and saw his bright orange jersey on the table.
"I've worn the green so long that a lot of people didn't know how I was going to react to this orange," Dawkins said. "Well, I went to Clemson, so I've worn this orange with pride already."
Dawkins figures he has at least a couple more good seasons in him. He started all 16 games last season for the third time in four years and had 75 tackles, three sacks, six forced fumbles and an interception.
The Broncos, who gave up 448 points last season while ranking at or near the bottom in every major defensive category, ran through six free safeties after signing Marlon McCree and Marquand Manuel last offseason.
McCree was allowed to become a free agent and Manuel was jettisoned along with four other defensive starters in a massive spring cleaning that freed up $37 million in cap space.
In addition to bringing in the two veteran safeties, McDaniels has tapped the New England pipeline, luring wide receiver Jabar Gaffney and long-snapper Lonie Paxton from the Patriots. Hill and Gaffney both signed four-year deals worth $10 million with $3 million in guarantees, their agent, Drew Rosenhaus confirmed Saturday.
Reid, 26, has started just twice at defensive tackle in his four seasons in Indy, but emerged as an elite special teamer, leading the Colts in special teams tackles with 18 last season.
The Broncos hope the versatile unrestricted free agent can fill many needs in Denver. His contract contains incentives that could push the value to $9.6 million based on playing time and sacks, Baratz said.
"I really don't know what their plan is, but I know he's in a unique role in that he can play multiple positions and is a jack of all trades," Baratz told The Associated Press.