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Drew Bledsoe was released by the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday and within hours, according to several reports, agreed to a deal with the Dallas Cowboys.
Bledsoe's reunion with coach Bill Parcells, who drafted the quarterback No. 1 overall and guided him to the Super Bowl in New England, was first reported by Dallas-Fort Worth television station KTVT and later by ESPN.com, The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All cited sources.
Bledsoe, agent David Dunn and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not immediately return phone calls to The Associated Press.
The Bills announced plans to release him last week and the Cowboys were prepared with an offer right away. Bledsoe was ready for it, too, even saying last week that "Dallas is intriguing for obvious reasons."
"Playing for my old coach and then looking at the weapons they have offensively, that's intriguing," Bledsoe said in a conference call with reporters. "But there are a number of teams that are possibilities and Dalllas is one of those."
Bledsoe also indicated then that he'd rather retire than not be a starter, so there's little doubt he'll be taking over the Dallas offense, especially considering Parcells' affinity for his former players. Among his receivers will be receiver Terry Glenn, who caught passes from Bledsoe from 1996-2001 in New England.
The Cowboys have said all along they wanted to go with a veteran quarterback rather than turn to one of their youngsters, Drew Henson or Tony Romo. Henson threw just 18 passes as a rookie and Romo has never thrown a pass in his two NFL seasons. Bledsoe's arrival also means that Vinny Testaverde won't return.
Although Bledsoe is eight years younger than Testaverde, he's still considered on the downside of his career.
His statistics last season in guiding Buffalo to a 9-7 record were comparable to what Testaverde did in Dallas' 6-10 season. Bledsoe had 20 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, while Testaverde had 17 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. The Bills went into the final Sunday of the season with a chance to make the playoffs after an 0-4 start.
Bledsoe has thrown for more than 300 yards only once in the last two seasons. He made the Pro Bowl the year before that, his first with Buffalo after losing his job in New England to Tom Brady. He was 23-25 over three seasons with the Bills, never reaching the postseason.
Source: AP
Bledsoe's reunion with coach Bill Parcells, who drafted the quarterback No. 1 overall and guided him to the Super Bowl in New England, was first reported by Dallas-Fort Worth television station KTVT and later by ESPN.com, The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All cited sources.
Bledsoe, agent David Dunn and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not immediately return phone calls to The Associated Press.
The Bills announced plans to release him last week and the Cowboys were prepared with an offer right away. Bledsoe was ready for it, too, even saying last week that "Dallas is intriguing for obvious reasons."
"Playing for my old coach and then looking at the weapons they have offensively, that's intriguing," Bledsoe said in a conference call with reporters. "But there are a number of teams that are possibilities and Dalllas is one of those."
Bledsoe also indicated then that he'd rather retire than not be a starter, so there's little doubt he'll be taking over the Dallas offense, especially considering Parcells' affinity for his former players. Among his receivers will be receiver Terry Glenn, who caught passes from Bledsoe from 1996-2001 in New England.
The Cowboys have said all along they wanted to go with a veteran quarterback rather than turn to one of their youngsters, Drew Henson or Tony Romo. Henson threw just 18 passes as a rookie and Romo has never thrown a pass in his two NFL seasons. Bledsoe's arrival also means that Vinny Testaverde won't return.
Although Bledsoe is eight years younger than Testaverde, he's still considered on the downside of his career.
His statistics last season in guiding Buffalo to a 9-7 record were comparable to what Testaverde did in Dallas' 6-10 season. Bledsoe had 20 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, while Testaverde had 17 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. The Bills went into the final Sunday of the season with a chance to make the playoffs after an 0-4 start.
Bledsoe has thrown for more than 300 yards only once in the last two seasons. He made the Pro Bowl the year before that, his first with Buffalo after losing his job in New England to Tom Brady. He was 23-25 over three seasons with the Bills, never reaching the postseason.
Source: AP
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