Chiefs and Cassel reach long-term agreement

Football Betting Lines

07/14/2009 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs signed offseason acquisition Matt Cassel to a multi-year contract on Tuesday.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed, per team policy.

"We are happy to announce that the Chiefs and Matt have entered into a multi- year commitment," said Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli. "Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community. His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

Kansas City traded a second-trade pick to New England earlier in the offseason in exchange for veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel and Cassel, whom the Patriots slapped with their franchise tag following his impressive 2008 campaign. The 27-year-old was expected to earn $14.651 million this season.

Cassel made a name for himself last year after taking over for an injured Tom Brady in the season-opener. He helped the Patriots to a record of 11-5, including 10-5 in his 15 starts, but New England did not qualify for the playoffs.

A seventh-round pick of the Patriots in 2005, Cassel threw for 3,693 yards with 21 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions in 16 games. He had thrown a total of 39 passes in his first three seasons as Brady's backup.

In addition to his backup status with New England, Cassel was also the backup to a pair of Heisman Trophy winners -- Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart -- at Southern California.

Footvall365 Football Betting News

<< Real's Kaka: Players must work hard
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kaka has admitted Real Madrid needs to combine talent with hard work if it is going to fulfil its undoubted potential. Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol have all arrived at the Bernabeu

<< Providence grants contract to Davis, extension Driscoll
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Providence College on Tuesday granted a new contract to head coach Keno Davis and a contract extension to athletic director Bob Driscoll. Both men are now signed through the 2015-16 season. "With

<< Blanco replaces De Rosario in MLS First XI
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco will replace Toronto FC midfielder Dwayne De Rosario in the All-Star First XI, MLS announced Tuesday. De Rosario, the 2006 MLS All-Star MVP, is unavailable for the

<< Sunderland signs Da Silva to three-year deal
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paraguay international Paulo Da Silva is looking forward to starting a new chapter in his career after penning a three-year contract with Sunderland. The 29-year-old moves to Wearside from Mex

<< Fabiano wants to join AC Milan
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luis Fabiano's agent has revealed the Brazil striker has set his heart on a move to AC Milan. The 28-year-old frontman is wanted by the Italian giants and agent Jose Fuentes has revealed that the feeling

Providence grants contract to Davis, extension to Driscoll >>
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Providence College on Tuesday granted a new contract to head coach Keno Davis and a contract extension to athletic director Bob Driscoll. Both men are now signed through the 2015-16 season. "With

Pacers sign SG Jones >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers signed shooting guard Dahntay Jones on Tuesday. Jones, known as a defensive specialist, became a free agent after a productive season for the Denver Nuggets last year. The Duke

Monaco ousts Gonzalez in Sweden >>
Bastad, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gritty Argentine Juan Monaco upended eighth-seeded countryman Maximo Gonzalez in Tuesday's first-round action at the Swedish Open. Monaco outlasted Gonzalez 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-1 on the red clay at

Vieri extends trial at Blackburn >>
Blackburn, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran ex-Italy international Christian Vieri's trial at Blackburn Rovers has been extended. The 36-year-old impressed boss Sam Allardyce during the club's recent Austrian training camp and will tea

Simon, Kohlschreiber, Kiefer advance at Mercedes Cup >>
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Gilles Simon of France and German favorites Philipp Kohlschreiber and Nicolas Kiefer were among Tuesday's opening-round winners at the Mercedes Cup tennis event. Simon subdued German Ph

MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds

With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.

Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season.  Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money. 

This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy.  A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.

Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:

Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame)
Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma)
Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State)
Michael Bush (RB, Louisville)
Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia)
Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville)
Chris Leak (QB, Florida)
Mike Hart (RB, Michigan)
Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State)
Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame)
Drew Tate (QB, Iowa)
Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal)
Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn)
Chad Henne (QB, Michigan)
Kyle Wright (QB, Miami)
Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State)
Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama)
JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU)
Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State)
Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina)
Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech)		 5-2
7-2
7-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
18-1
18-1
20-1
30-1
35-1
35-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1

For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.