After an explosive trade for one of the league’s best running backs rocked the sports world Tuesday, the Buffalo Bills showed that the team isn’t done gathering all its offensive pieces yet.
FOX Sports reported on Wednesday that the Bills will get quarterback Matt Cassel and a sixth-round pick in 2015 from Minnesota. In exchange, the Vikings will then get a fifth-round pick in 2015 and a seventh-round pick in 2016.
If new Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan was itching for another quarterback out of the University of Southern California, he has one, although Cassel was not a starter during his collegiate career. And now, the 32-year-old is expected to compete with E.J. Manuel for the Bills’ starting job. Manuel was benched last year in favor of Kyle Orton who retired at the end season.
Ryan had been looking for a quarterback since he took over and was rumored to have been interested in acquiring former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown. However, that didn’t work out as McCown went to the Cleveland Browns instead.
As for Cassel, he is a veteran in the NFL having played for the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and the Minnesota Vikings.
His most successful season came in New England when he filled in for the injured Tom Brady and won 10 games. A major highlight of that season was when, just six days after the death of his father, he threw for four touchdowns as the Pats routed the Oakland Raiders 49-26.
The Cassel trade to Buffalo follows reports a day earlier that Philadelphia Eagles running LeSean McCoy will be heading there in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso. Neither trade will be made official until Tuesday at 4 p.m.