The Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the worst teams in the NFL last season and with quarterback Blaine Gabbert still not taking charge as the starter, the team is planning on bringing in another player to compete, possibly Matt Flynn in a trade or Geno Smith in the draft.
According to CBSSports.com, the Jaguars are the favorite in a deal for Seahawks backup Matt Flynn, with the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills also targeting the quarterback. The trade talk on Flynn was cold for most of the offseason, even after the Seahawks said they would listen to offers for him. Flynn originally signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the team, but he was beaten out to start by Russell Wilson.
The Jaguars are considered the front runners for Flynn because they have a decent amount of cap space and the team has also been disappointed with the development of Blaine Gabbert. The team has Chad Henne on the roster, but he has never excited anyone much and Flynn would be a slight upgrade over both. Flynn has limited starting experience, but when he was with Green bay he threw six touchdowns and 480 yards in a win against the Lions.
New head coach Gus Bradley was with Flynn as defensive coordinator in Seattle and he could be a reason why the team goes after him aggressively. The report says that the Seahawks likely want a fourth or fifth round pick for Flynn, something the team may be willing to give up to get him.
The Bills don't have too many extra picks, but they may feel Flynn is worth going after since they cut quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, as he was due a high salary after being a disappointment over the past two seasons. The Raiders are in play because of Carson Palmer, who is due $13 million next season but has balked at the idea of a pay cut from the team.
The reason Flynn is starting to get hot again is due to the fact that the free agent market is thin after Jason Campbell signed with the Cleveland Browns. Kevin Kolb is still available, but names like Fitzpatrick and Matt Hasselbeck have already signed with other teams. Gabbert has been so-so in his time at quarterback and since the Jaguars are rebuilding anyway, they may feel it is a good idea to start over at the position with Flynn.
The Raiders would likely have Flynn and Terrelle Pryor compete for the starting job, but if they miss out on Flynn to the Jaguars, the team could decide to select Geno Smith in the draft, as they would be next in line after the Chiefs, who now have Alex Smith, and the Jaguars, who would be out of it at number two with a Flynn deal.
All the talk also means any chance of a Tim Tebow deal to the Jaguars is dead, as it has been all offseason. The two sides seemed like a perfect fit, but the Jaguars never wanted the attention he brings and shot down the idea of a deal very early in the offseason.
Both sides of the Flynn deal will continue to talk according to the report, but it appears that the Jaguars are the top team if they want to get him and the Seahawks may be willing to do it, since they have to give up a number of draft picks in the Percy Harvin deal and may want to get some back.