Vikings trade Matt Cassel to Bills for 2 draft picks

The Buffalo Bills have caught the NFL world by surprise with a second trade in as many days, this time reaching a deal to bring in a veteran signal-caller.

The Bills have agreed to a trade with the Minnesota Vikings to acquire Matt Cassel in exchange for two draft selections, both teams confirmed Wednesday.

Related: Shortsighted Bills building for the playoffs, not the Super Bowl

As Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reports, the Bills will part with both a 2015 fifth-round selection and a 2016 seventh-round selection, while the Vikings will be sending a 2015 sixth-rounder the other way

Buffalo entered the offseason with a significant need under center, and while Cassel won't provide fans with the most exciting of solutions, he brings some much-needed experience to the most important position on the field.

Cassel has appeared in 91 games over the course of his 10-year NFL career, accumulating a 33-38 starting record, while tallying 15,727 passing yards, 96 touchdowns and 70 interceptions.

The 33-year-old certainly won't be guaranteed the starting job heading into the regular season, as he'll compete directly with EJ Manuel. But the addition of a veteran quarterback in tandem with yesterday's acquisition of star running back LeSean McCoy indicates the Bills have made the offense a priority heading into 2015.

With a strong defense already in place, and one of the game's best defensive minds taking over as head coach, Buffalo may be a league-average offense away from emerging as a true contender in the AFC.