Who came first, the Chiefs or Lions or Broncos or Bucs … ?

After the news broke Saturday about the trade the Kansas City Chiefs had worked out with the New England Patriots to acquire much-ballyhooed backup QB Matt Cassel, you would have thought Bill Belichick had been caught red-handed with a video camera outside the Playboy Mansion.

Screams of Beli-cheat sent tremors all over the Internet, and the deal had many experts, bloggers, Joe-schmoes and message-board morons calling for an NFL inquiry. Well, given the iron-fisted rule of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, I suppose it’s possible that he could request such an investigation, but the trade hardly deserved that kind of seismic reaction.

Let’s face it, Cassel had a solid season filling in for Tom Brady in New England last year, but Belichick could have probably put Ron Powlus at quarterback and gone 11-5 with that system.

Of course, trading Cassel and an elderly Mike Vrabel for the 34th pick in the draft sounds like a highly overweighted deal. Judgment, however, should probably be saved for April 25 when we see what gem Belichick pulls out of the draft.

There is credence in the accusations of cronyism given that former Patriots executive Scott Pioli is now calling the shots for the Chiefs. If you read all of the Internet mumbo-jumbo, you’d see that apparently there was a deal being worked where the Patriots would send Cassel to the Lions and then Detroit would send Cassel to Denver in exchange for Jay Cutler, who would then somehow end up as the Tampa Bay Bucs’ new quarterback.

If that isn’t confusing enough, don’t bother trying to figure out the rest. Because while all of that was going on, Belichick was telling Pioli he could have his “franchise player” for peanuts, and so the deal was done.

The Bucs didn’t confirm the trade talks, but apparently the deal has left a bad taste in the mouths of those involved, especially the Broncos and Lions.

Cutler is none too happy, either. The former Vandy star was miffed when he learned of the rumors, especially because another former Patriot is now the head coach in Josh McDaniels, the ex-New England offensive coordinator.

McDaniels told the Denver Post:

“We don’t want to trade Jay. We never did. He’s our quarterback,” McDaniels said.

But Cutler isn’t necessarily buying that.

“I’m upset. I mean, I’m really shocked at this point,” Cutler told the Post. “I could see why they want Cassel. I don’t know if they think I can’t run the system or I don’t have the skills for it. Or if they don’t think they can sign me with my next contract. I just don’t know what it is. I’ve heard I’m still on the trading block.”

Cutler’s agent wasn’t buying it, either.

“There’s an awful lot of smoke for there not to be a fire,” Bus Cook told the Post.

He said, she said. Well, I’m sure it will all come out in the wash, and meanwhile, if the Bucs were to inquire again about Cutler, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind being a Buc at this point. The Bucs, of course, aren’t talking about it. Right now they are sitting mum with Luke McCown and Brian Griese as their quarterbacks.

Hey, Belichick, stop laughing.