Former NFL quarterback Matt Cassel was one of the most respected players in the league during his career, starting as a backup to Tom Brady with the New England Patriots. He was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009 and threw for 2,924 yards with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in his first season.
While he had a resurgent year the following season and led the Chiefs to their first playoff game in four years, Cassel had a heated exchange with head coach Todd Haley during a game against the Tennessee Titans when he refused to be benched.
“He Goes, ‘F-U Cassel, You’re Benched'” – Matt Cassel on Todd Haley
Cassel shared the story on the “Lots to Say” podcast. When asked about a time he was yelled at by a coach, he brought up the incident with Haley on Dec. 26, 2010, against the Titans.
“This is for us to win the AFC West, and he was getting after me all game long,” Cassel said. “Third quarter comes around, I have a (bootleg), pull up, didn’t break contain, (take a sack) and already can see he’s steaming.”
Kansas City punted to end the drive, but when Cassel got to the sideline, Haley was furious.
“We had a little verbal altercation, and I said some things I probably shouldn’t have,” Cassel said. “Deservedly so, he was hot. I was like, ‘Todd, that’s not what we need right now. We don’t need you over here, ‘Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh.'”
“He goes, ‘F-U Cassel, you’re benched,'” Cassel recalled.
.@M_Cassel16 recalls one of the most intense conversations he’s ever had with Todd Haley. 🔊
“Lots to Say” podcast with @mrBobbyBones 🔗 https://t.co/wzxkoT5H5I@iHeartRadio | @iHeartPodcasts pic.twitter.com/48XZjeTrEy
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 6, 2025
But as the team captain, and with the Chiefs up by 10 points, Cassel had no interest in sitting on the bench — so he ran back onto the field. The problem? Haley wasn’t giving him plays.
“I did something I shouldn’t have done. I ran back onto the field, and they don’t give me a play in the helmet, so I call my own play,” Cassel said.
Haley responded by sending in backup Brodie Croyle, who threw an interception on his second play. That’s when Cassel ran back out and started calling his own plays again. This time, he picked up a first down — and suddenly, Haley’s tone changed.
“All of a sudden, it’s, ‘Alright Cass, let’s get into zero on, sprint 38, alert sprint 39,'” Cassel said. “I was like, ‘Really, now?'”
Kansas City won 34-14, and with the Los Angeles Chargers losing to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Chiefs clinched the AFC West title.
“We win the AFC West that day, but it was a fractured relationship,” Cassel said.
The next day, he tried to clear things up with Haley.
“‘We need to put this to bed because we’re gonna go to the playoffs in two weeks,'” Cassel recalled telling him. “That was probably my most intense conversation with a head coach.”
But in the playoffs, things fell apart. The Chiefs lost 30-7 to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round, with Cassel going 9-for-18 for 70 yards. He finished the season with 3,116 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions and was named an alternate for the 2011 Pro Bowl after Brady was injured.