Matt Cassel Dec 10, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Cassel (16) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Cassel has worn multiple hats in the sports media landscape since retiring from the NFL. Cassel, who last played with the Detroit Lions in 2018, has recently spent time serving as an analyst for NBC Sports Boston and The 33rd Team. However, he’s now landed a new high-profile job; he’ll be a studio analyst for NBC’s Big Ten pregame coverage. Andrew Marchand of The New York Post broke that news Monday:

Awful Announcing reported last month that NBC was hiring Joshua Perry, a linebacker for Ohio State’s 2014 national championship team, in a studio analyst role. Perry joined Maria Taylor, who has long been reported to be the host for the new studio production. And now it appears that Cassel will also be joining the fold.

Cassel’s addition as a studio analyst for NBC’s coverage of the Big Ten is interesting considering that he isn’t known for his college play. He completed just 20 passes across a four-year career at the University of Southern California. And while his alma mater is joining the Big Ten conference, that will not take effect until August 2024.

Cassel is better known for his time in the National Football League, despite his lack of collegiate experience. He was able to insert himself on multiple NFL teams’ radars thanks to his participation in USC’s Pro Day prior to the 2005 NFL Draft. The New England Patriots would later select Cassel in the seventh round of that year’s draft, and he would serve as Tom Brady’s immediate backup for the better part of three seasons.

Cassel was thrust into a starting role in his final season in New England after Brady suffered a torn ACL in Week 1 of the 2008 NFL season. He went 10-5 as a starter and would later be franchise-tagged by the Patriots, who traded him the following offseason in a blockbuster trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

While Cassel’s time in New England earned him a role with NBC Sports Boston, he started in 48 games across four seasons with the Chiefs. From there, he started a total of 22 games from 2013-18, playing with the Vikings, Bills, Cowboys, Titans and Lions.

It remains to be seen how NBC will utilize Cassel in his new role. At NBC Sports Boston, Cassel appeared on the Pre/Postgame Live show, and made a weekly appearance as a guest on Tom Curran’s Patriots Talk Podcast, while also contributing a column each week during the season.

[The New York Post; photo from Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.