Last night, reports surfaced that the Buffalo Bills had agreed to a three-year contract with free agent quarterback Tyler Thigpen. A move long rumored thanks to Thigpen's well-known ties to Bills head coach Chan Gailey from their days together in Kansas City, Thigpen will serve as the primary backup to starter Ryan Fitzpatrick during the 2011 season.
Had the Bills gotten their way, however, it might not have been Thigpen at all that would have been backup up Fitzpatrick.
Per Michael Lombardi of NFL.com, the quarterback the Bills were really targeting for the backup job was former Minnesota Vikings player Tarvaris Jackson. Those plans were quickly scuttled when, early Tuesday afternoon, Jackson agreed to a deal with the Seattle Seahawks. There, Jackson will be part of a three-way battle for the starting job between he, Charlie Whitehurst and Matt Leinart.
Once the Bills knew Jackson was out of the picture, it appears that they quickly turned their attention to Thigpen. The Vikings, having just lost Jackson, were also heavily in pursuit of Thigpen, but his ties to Gailey ultimately led to Thigpen joining the Bills. Minnesota eventually settled on a trade for Donovan McNabb.