The Vince Young era in Buffalo proved to be short-lived following the arrival of Tarvaris Jackson from Seattle.
In a Monday morning tweet, Young thanked Bills fans in what was an apparent signal that he had been cut by the club.
“I want to thank the Bills organization for the opportunity,” he wrote, “and wish the organization and my teammates good luck this season.”
The Bills confirmed the move on Monday afternoon.
The developments come on the same day that Buffalo agreed to a restructured contract with Jackson, completing his trade from the Seahawks, ESPN reported.
Young, the former University of Texas star who struggled in the professional ranks, signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Bills in May after spending last season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The former Heisman Trophy runner-up and former third overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft had seemingly wrested control of the race to be the team’s No. 2 quarterback behind starter Ryan Fitzpatrick, only to play poorly in the Bills’ 38-7 preseason loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday night and change the minds of both coach Chan Gailey and general manager Buddy Nix.
Young threw two interceptions in the loss, with the first coming on his first pass attempt en route to completing just 12 of 26 passes for 103 yards in the second half.
In three preseason games, Young had completed just 48 percent of his passes for 276 yards and two interceptions without a touchdown. He was also sacked three times and charged with a fumble.
Jackson had been scheduled to make $4 million this season, but both sides agreed to reduce that number because the Bills were adamant the price was too high for a backup quarterback.
Buffalo signed Fitzpatrick to a six-year, $59 million extension last season, leaving Young to battle Tyler Thigpen for the backup job. Gailey has maintained that he planned to just keep one backup quarterback because the No. 3 spot would be reserved for wide receiver/Wildcat specialist Brad Smith.
