Raiders sign EJ Manuel, former top pick of the Bills, to back up Derek Carr

After four tumultuous seasons with the Buffalo Bills, EJ Manuel is finally moving on. 

The former first-round pick officially signed a deal with the Oakland Raiders on Monday. The 27-year-old, who just celebrated his birthday on Sunday, will serve as Derek Carr’s backup with the Raiders. 

The addition of Manuel likely means the end of Matt McGloin’s four-year career in Oakland. Although McGloin had been with the Raiders since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2013, his contract expired after the 2016 season, and the team has not given him any indication that they plan to keep him. 

For Manuel, the move to Oakland means a fresh start for a quarterback who spend four disappointing seasons in Buffalo. After being selected as the 16th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Manuel was expected to be the quarterback of the future in Buffalo, but he never panned out there. 

In four seasons, Manuel started a total of 17 games with the Bills and went just 6-11. Every time the Bills gave Manuel the starting quarterback job, he somehow managed to lose it. In 2014, the Bills decided to pull Manuel after just four games in favor of Kyle Orton.  

After Orton left town, Manuel wasn’t able to beat out Tyrod Taylor for the starting job. 

Manuel did start one game in 2016, a 30-10 loss to the Jets in Week 17, where the quarterback completed just 9 of 20 passes for 86 yards.  

The former Florida State star was the first quarterback selected in the 2013 NFL Draft, a draft that’s not looking so well for quarterbacks right now. Four years after the draft, only one quarterback is still playing for the team that selected him.