Season-ending injury devastating to Vikings' Cassel

Matt Cassel's adrenaline was pumping after he was dragged down by a pair of New Orleans Saints defenders at the end of a third-down scramble Sunday. After he pulled himself off the turf at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the Vikings quarterback realized his left foot had gone numb.

As he limped to the sideline, it dawned on Cassel that there was a chance his injury might be significant. Maybe he was in denial, but he tried to hold out hope that it was not.

"I came off to the sideline and I had dislocated my pinkie toe so I wanted to pop that pinkie toe back in. I thought if that's the extent of it, that's a good thing," Cassel said. "But unfortunately, they found some fractures in the foot and obviously we'll have to deal with that."

On Wednesday morning, three days after that costly 20-9 loss in New Orleans, the Vikings announced that Cassel had been placed on injured reserve, ending his season after only three games.

"It's disappointing professionally and personally," Cassel said. "You work so hard in the offseason to give yourself an opportunity to go out there and play, and then to have it happen this early in the season — especially with the belief that I have in this team, the thoughts of going on and having a lot of success this year — and for it to happen this early is super devastating to me. At the same time, now all your focus goes into your rehab and getting better and trying to get back on the field."

Cassel will be in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday to meet with Dr. Robert Anderson, the renowned specialist who will check out his broken foot. He said he isn't sure if he will need surgery and what rehab might entail, but the team doctors did give him a little good news when they told him he had no ligament damage and that he did not suffer a Lisfranc injury, which are much more difficult from which to recover.

Still, it is hard for Cassel to appreciate any silver linings after he worked so hard to hold off rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in training camp and the preseason only to have his season end so soon.

"My role changes at this point," Cassel said. "I'll be here for these guys to support them and support Teddy. I think Teddy will do a tremendous job for us, and hopefully I can help him in a mentoring position and be able to help guide him and bring him along."

For Cassel, who signed a two-year deal with the Vikings in March, his future with the team beyond 2014 is uncertain. He is scheduled to make $4.15 million in 2015 and is due a $500,000 roster bonus early in the league year. That would be pricey, but not an unreasonable cost, for a veteran backup.

"You don't really think about that right now. You think about trying to get healthy," Cassel said. "You know what goes with the business and this job and you just handle it as it comes about."