Now that the Alex Smith trade from the San Francisco 49ers to the Kansas City Chiefs is officially complete as the league started a new year on Tuesday, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Flynn remains the most attractive option for teams in need of a new signal-caller by way of a trade.
The free agent options at quarterback are limited after Matt Moore signed with the Dolphins and Chase Daniel signed with the Chiefs and while the draft has a number of solid names in Matt Barkley, Geno Smith and EJ Manuel, some teams do not have picks high enough to make an impact selection. Flynn s contract may make it hard to trade him, but two teams that could be interested include the Cleveland Browns and the Arizona Cardinals.
Cleveland is in a position to make a move as they have a decent amount of cap space and they could be willing to part ways with Brandon Weeden, as the team has a new regime with owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Michael Lombardi that did not draft him. The Browns already made a splash by signing Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger to a five-year contract and could decide to make another one if they feel that Flynn can be a winning quarterback.
Although Flynn has been limited in his playing time, when he has gotten a chance to play he has been very effective. He got a chance to start against the Lions in 2011 and passed for a team record six touchdowns and 480 yards for the Packers and the previous season he had 433 passing yards in seven games while completing over 60 percent of his passes.
Flynn signed a three-year deal with the Seahawks before last season and though he would have a chance to start, but instead Russell Wilson beat him for the starting job in training camp and effectively ended any shot at Flynn starting. Wilson took the team to the playoffs after going 11-5 and defeated the Washington Redskins before losing to the Atlanta Falcons.
The thing that could hang up any deal for Flynn is his contract situation, which could be a problem for some teams since he will make a base salary of $5.25 million in 2013 and will count for $7.25 million against the cap next season. Flynn signed a three-year, $19.5 million deal and SI.com reporter Peter King said that if Flynn was dealt, he would likely get the Seahawks a "late-round pick.
One reason the team might be willing to trade Flynn is due to the fact that the Seahawks had to give up multiple draft picks, including a first-rounder from this year, to the Minnesota Vikings to acquire wide receiver Percy Harvin. Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider could feel comfortable making the trade if they got a draft pick back, as they could possibly take a backup quarterback later in the draft, such as Matt Scott or Tyler Wilson.
Another team that could enter the mix is the Arizona Cardinals, who had one of the worst offensive seasons of any team in the league last season. The team had John Skelton, Kevin Kolb and Ryan Lindley at quarterback last year and were ranked near the bottom in the NFL in passing and also suffered a 58-0 defeat at the hands of Flynn s Seahawks, although it was mainly Russell Wilson who did the damage that day.
The Cardinals have a high draft pick and could try selecting quarterback Geno Smith of he is available, but there is a chance he could go as low as two, as the Jacksonville Jaguars have planned to scout and meet with Smith before the draft. Flynn had just nine pass attempts last season and while his past experience is limited, he could have a Matt Schaub-like impact, as he was also a backup before becoming a starter with Houston.
