Buffalo Bills quarterback Alex Van Pelt has reached an agreement in principle on a five-year contract extension that is worth between $5 million and $5.5 million, with the contract to be completed in the next couple weeks.

The deal includes a signing bonus of $1.5 million, of which $500,000 was going to come due to him from incentives earned this season. The Van Pelt agreement may make it easier for the Bills to either place quarterback Rob Johnson in the expansion draft or to trade or cut him.

Van Pelt has become somewhat of a fan favorite in Buffalo in compiling a 2-5 record as a starter. Johnson was 1-7 before injuring his right shoulder. Signed as an insurance policy for the NFL minimum during the offseason, Van Pelt has shown that he can efficiently run the West Coast offense that was being installed by first-year offensive coordinator Mike Shepphard.

Van Pelt, 31, had only thrown 156 passes and started three games before this season, his seventh in the NFL. For the Bills this year, Van Pelt has completed 58.3 percent of 300 passes and thrown for 12 touchdowns.

The Bills have been working on this extension for the past three weeks. He was scheduled to be a free agent after the season.