Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli cast doubt on whether Patriots QB Matt Cassel had signed his franchise tender.

“He hasn’t signed,” Pioli said Saturday in response to a question about whether Kansas City would have any interest in trading for Cassel. “You can’t trade for a player that’s not signed under contract. That’s my understanding. I haven’t looked into it far enough. But I believe he hasn’t signed … I don’t think … I think two or three franchise players have signed. I don’t think he has, I don’t think.”

But a league source confirmed Sunday that not only had Cassel signed the tender, but it was handed to Patriots senior adviser Floyd Reese.

One reason there are questions about whether it has been signed could be that teams do not report the signings to the league until the first day of the new league year, which is Friday, Feb. 27. Once that day comes and goes, the records will show that Cassel has signed.

And a potential trade for him will be in play.

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