Bills Considered Signing Michael Vick, Had Concerns About His Play In Bad Weather

Bills HC Rex Ryan tells Pro Football Talk that they previously considered the idea of signing veteran QB Michael Vick. However, Ryan explained that he had concerns about how Vick would perform in the poor weather.

“I had a conversation with Mike,” Ryan said. “Mike’s an outstanding athlete, he’s a tremendous person. I really enjoyed my year with Mike [last season with the Jets], and he’s great for a team. However, our conditions are a little different than most teams in this league. And Mike will tell you, he’s not built really for a bad weather quarterback. He doesn’t have great big hands, and the weather affects him some. And he’d be the first one to tell you.

“You get the wind that we’re gonna have in our stadium and the snow and all that stuff, that’s not in his best interests. And quite honestly, I considered it. We considered it. And I know that’s not the spot for him.”

The Bills currently have Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor and former first-round pick EJ Manuel battling it out for the starting job, but it’s hard to say that any of these players will be able to solidify the position.

In fact, GM Doug Whaley mentioned earlier in the week that they’re almost in “quarterback purgatory.”

“We are almost in quarterback purgatory. We’re good enough that we won’t be picking 1st or 2nd overall,” Whaley said on WGR 550 Wednesday.

As for Vick, Rand Getlin of NFL Media previously reported there is a “tremendous amount of confidence” coming from Vick’s camp that he will sign on with a team before the start of the regular season.

“There is a tremendous amount of confidence in his camp that he will be on an active roster come opening day,” Getlin said of Vick.

There really hasn’t been much interest in quarterback since free agency opened several months ago. The Seahawks came up as a speculative option, but they have since re-signed Tarvaris Jackson to a contract, which obviously eliminates them as a possibility.

Vick, 34, played out his one-year contract worth $4 million with the Jets last season and is, arguably, the best free agent quarterback available.

In 2014, Vick threw for 604 yards while completing 52.9 percent of his passes to go along with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also added 153 yards rushing over the course of 1o games.

We’ll have more regarding Vick as the news is available.