Though the contract has yet to be formalized, word has it that quarterback Matt Cassel has accepted the Patriots' non-exclusive franchise tag and the one-year, $14.65 million that goes with it. To put this into perspective, Cassel's new salary is the average of the top five highest-paid players at the QB position. And of course it's a slight raise over the $520,000 he made last year ... and just a wee bit more than most of us made last year!
Basically the way the "franchise tag" works is that each NFL team can designate one player as its franchise player. Typically this is a player of great skill and/or of great importance to the team that they don't want to lose when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. By "tagging" him as their franchise player, the team can retain him while seeking talent through the NFL draft or other acquisitions without exceeding the NFL's salary cap.
Having been designated a "non-exclusive franchise player," Cassel is free to negotiate with other teams. If another team makes an offer, the Patriots have the right to match that offer. If they don't and thus lose Cassel as a player, they are entitled to receive two first-round draft picks as compensation.
Regardless of how you feel about "franchise tags" or the incredible amount of money that professional athletes get paid, this whole scenario with Cassel presents us with some contrasting spiritual parallels worth considering.
We are bought with a price.
God's Word says that we, as believers in Christ Jesus, were "purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28). The apostle Peter reiterates this, saying that we were not redeemed "with corruptible things, like silver or gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet. 1:18-19). We tend to think that $14.65 million is a lot, but it's nothing compared to the infinite worth of Jesus' blood.
The price is not based on our performance.
Starting fifteen games in Brady's place, Cassel led the the Patriots to a 11-5 record. He threw for 3,693 yards, a club record for a first-year starter, and 21 touchdowns while completing 63.4 percent of his passes. This performance made Cassel a "hot commodity" in the NFL and a 14-million-dollar man.
Yet the price that was paid for us has nothing to do with our performance; rather, it has everything to do with Jesus' performance. Scripture informs us that "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things that are mighty ... that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus. . ." (1 Cor. 1:27, 30). Elsewhere Scripture reminds us, "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5:6).
So much for us being a hot commodity! The price that was paid for us has nothing to do with our performance or how impressive we are in God's sight. It has everything to do with God's love and grace toward unworthy sinners like you and me.
Everyone on God's team is a "franchise player."
Each team in the NFL gets to designate one franchise player per year. As was already stated, this is the player considered to be one of the most valuable or most important on the team. But when it comes to God's team, the Church, every player is equally valuable and important. Each one was purchased with Christ's blood. God intends nobody to be a bench-warmer. Everybody has a vital role to play. The apostle Paul presses this home with the use of an analogy, comparing Christ's body (God's team) to the human body:
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. . . . Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am not an eye," would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you."In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. . . . So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. . . .All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it.1 Cor. 12:12, 14-25, 27 NLT
Furthermore, unlike Cassel, all the players on God's team are exclusive franchise players. That is, we cannot negotiate or be bought by another team. We belong to the Lord who has purchased us permanently and exclusively, forever and ever!
Matt Cassel is amazing. But to be a Christian is even more amazing.