Should the Seahawks part ways with experienced – and expensive — backup quarterback Matt Flynn? General Manager John Schneider, in a burst of transparency by NFL standards, acknowledged last week that Flynn might be shopped in the coming months since Russell Wilson has practically achieved icon status in this town.
“I’d be lying to you if I told you that we wouldn’t be listening to people,” Schneider told ESPN 710. “I think we all believe he’s a starter in this league, but we structure ourselves in a salary-cap manner where we’re in a very good position with him. Having two quarterbacks like that is pretty special. We’re going to do what’s best for the organization — period.”
The Seahawks signed Flynn from the Green Bay Packers – three years, $26 million — as the presumptive starter in March, but Wilson, taken 75th overall in the April’s third round of the NFL draft, emerged during the preseason.
He won the competition, started the first game and became better as the season progressed. After leading the Seahawks to an 11-5 record and a wild card playoff victory over the Washington Redskins, Wilson is a candidate to win the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Once Wilson got rolling, Flynn never had a chance. He barely got on the field, mopping up in just three games. He came to Seattle with two spectacular career starts in Green Bay, and today still has just two career starts on his resume.
Flynn is scheduled to make $7.25 million next season. Only $2 million of that is guaranteed, but $2 million is still a hefty price to pay a backup quarterback.
The other issue is that Wilson’s adroitness at the read option, not a part of Flynn’s arsenal, might lead Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll to seek a backup who is adept at that mode of attack.
Flynn should generate considerable interest, only because it doesn’t make sense to carry a backup quarterback making Flynn’s money when Wilson is set to make $526,217.
But if the Seahawks do that and replace him with a lesser player, they become more vulnerable in the event of a Wilson injury, as was the case when the Redskins lost Robert Griffin III for up to a year following knee surgery. Against the Seahawks in the playoffs, Griffin aggravated an injury because coach Mike Shanahan was reluctant to pull him and turn over a playoff outcome to another rookie QB, backup Kirk Cousins.
[polldaddy poll=6843097]
11 Comments
Depends on the deal. Wilson could easily have a season ending injury at any time. I get this picture of Curt Warner in the first game of his second season going down for the year. But if moving Flynn gets the club a top 10 draft pick I’d do it.
jafabian, the best they could hope for, draft-wise, would be a second round pick, and most believe a third rounder is more likely. Not getting a pass rusher in a trade, likely–those are about as rare as starting QBs.
The wisest thing to do from a number of angles is to try to move Flynn. The Seahawks could then target Josh Johnson, a player the team is familiar with, as a backup.
The team is likely to get a better haul if it takes an NBA approach, and looks to deal Flynn for a package that includes a player on a similar contract and a mid-round pick (or picks).
With so many teams this season proving that they can win with a younger/rookie QB, I’d wonder if some of the teams looking for a QB would rather roll the dice in the draft instead of trading picks and/or players for a backup with a large cap number. Trade Flynn if the deal’s right, but I wouldn’t expect a mind-blowing package in return.
Flynn should be dealt, if for no other reason because he makes so much more money than the guy he’s playing behind (not his fault…who knew?) but also because he IS good enough to start in the NFL.
However, the ‘Hawks should be very careful because there are no other QBs on the roster since they let Josh Portis go during the season. They should pick up a solid vet as backup and find another youngster as developmental QB. A Flynn trade could bring in one or the other.
Tarvaris Jackson would be a good, cheap backup. He’s a good teammate, would blend perfectly in the locker room, and has a career .500 record as a starter.
Won’t there be a QB competition next year (tongue in cheek)? Trade Flynn, look what the Redskins got in the draft as a backup.
No. Wilson is going to go down next season for an extended period of time. And if not then, soon. I mean, please. The way he plays, and being 5″10.
Wilson is bigger than Tony Dorsett, who managed a fairly decent career as a running back in the league. Wilson isn’t fragile, and he’s a difficult target to square up on.
sure, trade him, get a pass rusher or a receiver, and try to win next year. These windows don’t stay open forever.
Yes and trade him for Larry Fitz..