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Bills add QB Cassel to compete with Manuel
The Buffalo Bills made their second aggressive move in as many days to upgrade their offensive personnel, agreeing Wednesday to acquire quarterback Matt Cassel from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for an undisclosed future draft choice.
The Bills will send the Vikings their fifth-round pick in this year’s draft in exchange for Minnesota’s sixth-round pick, according to multiple reports. The Vikings will also receive a seventh-round pick in 2016.
Cassel appeared in 12 games over the past two seasons in Minnesota, completing 194 of 325 pass attempts for 2,232 yards, 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The 10-year veteran is expected to compete for the job with EJ Manuel, who will be entering his third season.
Whoever wins the quarterback job will likely be handing the ball often to running back LeSean McCoy, who the Bills reportedly have agreed to acquire from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso when the new league year begins Monday.
Cassel, who will turn 33 in May, was 4-5 with the Vikings. He opened last season as the starter before suffering a season-ending broken foot in Week 3. He is the veteran quarterback the Vikings had been seeking to compete with Manuel, with third-year quarterback Jeff Tuel re-signed to a reserve/future contrct. Buffalo met with veteran Josh McCown, who ultimately signed with the Cleveland Browns.
“Obviously, this league’s proven when you’ve got a great quarterback, it’s rare that you don’t go to the playoffs with a great quarterback,” Bills coach Rex Ryan said at the NFL Scouting Combine last month. “Obviously that’s priority, not just for our team but any team in this league. But it’s a lot easier said than done. It would be nice to get somebody like that.
“I’m excited about EJ Manuel, though. He’s a young man that has some potential. We’ll see how that pans out.”
Cassel, entering the final year of his contract, is due to count $4.75 million against the 2015 salary cap ($4.15 million in base salary and a $500,000 roster bonus), compared to Manuel at $2.4 million and Tuel at $510,000. Kyle Orton, who retired after last offseason, will count $1.5 million in “dead cap” money. He had been scheduled to count $5.5 million against the cap before retiring.
Cassel’s $500,000 roster bonus is due March 16, which prompted the Vikings’ decision.
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