The Buffalo Bills are very active in the 2015 offseason of the National Football League, or NFL, hoping to improve from last season’s performance. A day after acquiring star running back LeSean McCoy from the Philadelphia Eagles, the Bills acquired Matt Cassel in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings the teams announced on Wednesday.

Minnesota will receive two future draft picks in the deal and Cassel is expected to fight for a starting quarterback job with young QB EJ Manuel in the Bills line-up. Buffalo also chased veteran QB Josh McCown early in the 2015 offseason but McCown chose to sign with the Cleveland Browns.

The 32 year old Cassel was a seventh round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots where he played from 2005 to 2008. Cassel moved to the Kansas City Chiefs and played there from 2009 to 2012 before signing with the Vikings in 2013 and 2014. Cassel signed a two-year deal with the Vikings in 2013 and will enter the final season of that contract. He is due to make $4.15 million in 2015.

Cassel will be competing against Manuel, who will enter his third year in the league. Manuel passed for 838 yards on 76 of 131 completions with 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in the 2014 season. 



Cassel’s best NFL season came in his final year with the Patriots when he threw for 3,693 passing yards on 327 of 516 completions or a 63.4% completion rate with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Cassel missed most of the Vikings’ regular season games in 2014 when he played in just three games producing 425 passing yards with 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions as a back-up to Christian Ponder.

The Bills had a respectable 2014 season winning 9 of 16 games but failed to make the postseason. Buffalo ranked 18th overall in average passing yards in the regular season with 225.9 yards per game.


Email j.gloria@IBTimes.com.au to contact author.

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