Matt Cassel‘s unemployment lasted less than 72 hours. After being released by the Bills on Saturday afternoon, the veteran quarterback re-signed with the team today, according to a press release. Buffalo cut tight end Nick O’Leary to make room on the 53-man roster for Cassel.
Cassel, 33, was acquired by the Bills back in March in a trade with the Vikings, but didn’t initially survive the cutdown to 53 players over the weekend. His release left the team with a pair of young signal-callers, Tyrod Taylor and E.J. Manuel, as the only QBs on the roster, so it makes sense that he’d return to the fold to provide some veteran insurance.
Cassel’s reunion with the Bills also certainly comes with a reduced salary. He had initially been slated to make a base salary of $4.15MM in 2015, which likely contributed to his release. His new deal with the team will probably be closer to the veteran’s minimum, perhaps with some playing-time and performance bonuses attached, which would reward him if he retakes the starting job during the season.
Taylor is still penciled in as the Bills’ starter for 2015, but if he struggles or goes down with an injury, it appears Cassel will get the nod over Manuel. Head coach Rex Ryan said today that Cassel will open the year as the No. 2 QB on the depth chart (Twitter link via ESPN’s Mike Rodak).