Bills to acquire Matt Cassel in trade with Vikings

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The Bills are set at running back after acquiring LeSean McCoy, expected to be made official next week. Now they've got a veteran quarterback to play beside the star running back and challenge incumbent EJ Manuel for the right to run Rex Ryan's revamped offense.

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.

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Brandon Schlager is an assistant managing editor at The Sporting News.