Vikings Place Matt Cassel on IR; Season Over

The Minnesota Vikings placed former USC quarterback Matt Cassel on season-ending injured reserve on Thursday.

Cassell injured his foot in the second quarter of Minnesota's 20-9 loss to New Orleans on Sunday. After the game, head coach Mike Zimmer said Cassel had "several fractured bones" in his foot.

First round draft pick Teddy Bridgewater will take over the starting quarterback job Cassel had won over Bridgewater during the preseason.

Matt Cassel started the season with a strong performance in a 34-6 win at St. Louis. He completed 17-of-25 passes, throwing for two touchdowns with no interceptions. It was the complete opposite in a Week 2 30-7 loss to New England. Cassel tossed four interceptions and only one touchdown while only completing 19-of-36 passes.

Matt Leinart's backup at USC, Cassel is in his 10th NFL season. After being drafted in the seventh round in 2005, he got his big break in 2008 when Tom Brady was injured in the season opener. Cassel stepped in and led the New England Patriots to an 11-5 record throwing for a career-high 3,693 yards.

Following the season, he was traded, along with Mike Vrabel, to Kansas City for a second-round pick. In four seasons with the Chiefs, Matt Cassel went 19-28 while under center. His best season came in 2010. Cassel earned a Pro Bowl invitation after throwing for 3,116 yards and 27 touchdowns with only seven interceptions.

He signed with the Vikings in 2013 and backed up Christian Ponder to start the season, but took over the starting role for the final six games, leading the team to a 3-3 record. He signed a two-year, $10 million deal during the offseason.