Was Mike Vrabel a salary dump?

March 1, 12:35 AMNew England Patriots ExaminerSean Crowe

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Isn't this worth $5 million? (AP Photo)

In making my initial assessment of the Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel trade, I worked under the assumption that the Chiefs had demanded Mike Vrabel be included in order to give up their second round pick.

However, Michael Smith of ESPN is reporting that it was the Patriots, not the Chiefs, who demanded Vrabel be included in the deal.

Smith says the move was a salary dump. The Patriots were not willing to give up Cassel unless the Chiefs took Vrabel and his salary off their hands as well.

That shines a whole new and confusing light on this thing, doesn’t it?

Vrabel was going to cost the Patriots about $5 million against the cap this season. By trading him, they saved somewhere between $3 and $4 million, depending on who’s numbers are correct.

In real money, Vrabel was going to make a salary of about $2.3 million this year. He was due a roster bonus of $1 million on March 2nd, which the Patriots will no longer have to pay.

So the Patriots saved between $3 and $4 million in salary cap space, and about $3.3 million in real money by including Vrabel in the Cassel deal.

It seems plausible, I guess. But are the Patriots really that cash strapped?

Maybe they were worried about his $1 million roster bonus, considering they’ll probably be shelling out a ton of signing bonus money to Vince Wilfork soon?

Or maybe they just thought Vrabel was no longer worth a $5 million cap charge?

In Belichick We Trust.

The thing is, Vrable is a smart player. He’s a quality player. He’s an on-field coach. He’s a locker room leader. He plays multiple positions. He might have been the most important non-defensive lineman in the Patriots’ defensive unit.

There just aren’t that many guys in the NFL who bring all that to the table.

Isn’t that guy worth about 3% of your total salary cap? Jarvis Green, a backup defensive end, is counting for $5.4 million against the cap. Kevin Faulk, a third down back, counts for $4 million against the cap.

Wasn’t Vrabel, and everything he brought to the table, worth at least that much?

Who knows? Maybe the Patriots have something big up their sleeve that will cause this move to make a little more sense (Julius Peppers? Ray Lewis?). Maybe they’ll draft someone with the 34th overall pick that will make us all forget Mike Vrabel.

But right now, I’m perplexed.

The #34 overall pick for Matt Cassel makes sense. Giving up Mike Vrabel because the Chiefs demanded he be included or they weren’t willing to make the deal is disappointing but understandable.

Forcing the Chiefs to take Vrabel off your hands because you’re no longer interested in paying his salary is….puzzling.

More on the Patriots' moves this weekend: 

• Patriots trade Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel to Kansas City Chiefs
• Shocking: Mike Vrabel traded to the Kansas City Chiefs
• Fred Taylor shuns Bills, signs with Patriots
• Broncos sign former Patriots Jabar Gaffney, Lonie Paxton
• Did Tom Brady get married on first day of free agency? Sports Examiner Paula Duffy: Did Tom Brady get married on first day of free agency?

Sean Crowe is the New England Patriots Examiner and a Senior Writer / NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com.You can check out his Bleacher Report archives here.