Seattle also had the least cost-effective quarterback in the NFL, Matt Hasselbeck, who was plagued with back and knee injuries last season. Hasselbeck, who was paid $9.95 million, missed several games. He threw only 209 passes, completing 109 for 1,216 yards and five touchdowns.

Hasselbeck’s ratios of 1.1 completions, 12.2 yards, and 0.1 touchdowns per $100,000 were the worst in those three categories among the 36 quarterbacks in the study.

Just ahead of Hasselbeck in the cost-effectiveness rankings were Marc Bulger of St. Louis, Brett Favre of the New York Jets, and Jake Delhomme of Carolina. All were paid between $9 million and $12 million, yet struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness.

The study did not include anyone who attempted fewer than 160 passes, an average of 10 per game. Falling short of that threshold were three of the NFL’s 10 highest-paid quarterbacks, all of whom were shelved with injuries: Brady (cap value of $14.6 million), Carson Palmer of Cincinnati ($14.0 million), and Alex Smith of San Francisco ($9.9 million).

Matt Cassel moved into the same financial stratosphere after his successful 2008 season. New England, anticipating Brady’s return, traded Cassel to Kansas City, where he recently signed a six-year, $63 million contract.

Cassel is already penciled in as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback this season. His backup, ticketed for a year on the bench, will be the man he edged out for the 2008 cost-effectiveness title, Tyler Thigpen.