The Vikings have agreed to trade Matt Cassel to the Bills, the teams announced Wednesday. Buffalo will also receive a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft in exchange for a 2015 fifth-round pick and a seventh-rounder in 2016, FOX Sports reported.
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The trade will become official March 10 when the NFL’s league year begins with free agency.
Cassel began last season as the Vikings’ starting quarterback but suffered a foot injury in Week 3 and missed the rest of the year. The emergence of rookie Teddy Bridgewater made Cassel expendable in Minnesota.
Buffalo has been in the market for a veteran presence at quarterback following Kyle Orton’s retirement. Orton replaced Manuel as the Bills’ starter after Week 4 last season.
Manuel, a former first-round pick by the Bills, is entering his third season in a tenure that has been largely plagued by injuries and underwhelming performances.
Ryan has said he sought to add a quarterback with a proven track record via free agency or otherwise to compete with Manuel for the starting job. Cassel is 33-39 as a starter in his 11-year career, completing 59 percent of his passes with 96 touchdowns and 70 interceptions. He also has played for the Patriots and the Chiefs.
The Bills traded third-year linebacker Kiko Alonso to the Eagles on Tuesday for McCoy.
