It seemed strange when rumors began to swirl that the Oakland Raiders were considering signing Josh Freeman. Why would they bring in another quarterback when the team had Terrelle Pryor as their starter and Matt Flynn as their backup. Not to mention draft pick Tyler Wilson on the practice squad. Now everything makes sense. The Raiders have officially released Flynn, as the quarterback's career takes yet another painful drop.
CBSSports.com NFL Insider Jason La Canfora confirmed the release of the six-year quarterback who was traded to the Raiders back in April. Oakland gave up a 2014 fifth-round draft pick to the Seattle Seahawks after Flynn lost the starting job to rookie Russell Wilson. To recap Flynn's career in the NFL, he started out as Aaron Rodgers' backup in Green Bay. After showing promise, the Seattle Seahawks signed him to be their starter. He lost the job to Wilson. After getting traded to the Oakland Raiders to once again become the new starting quarterback, he lost the job to Pryor.
Flynn has had a rough two weeks in Oakland and the release is just the cherry on top. He made his first start of the season in place Pryor who was out with a concussion. Oakland lost to the Washington Redskins and head coach Dennis Allen blamed it all on the quarterback's poor play. He was then demoted to sit behind undrafted rookie Matt McGloin on the depth chart and now released.
In two years between the Seattle Seahawks and the Oakland Raiders, Matt Flynn has made $14.5 million for one start. Take that all in. Cutting the Flynn is not a cheap move for the Raiders. In his contract, Flynn will still be owed $6.5 million in guaranteed money.
Flynn's demise started when Pryor's status was on the rise. The quarterback showed clear improvement during training camp. He is mobile and versatile outside of the pocket, allowing the Raiders to truly open up the playbook. At one point, it appeared rookie Tyler Wilson would be the starter over Flynn, until he looked terrible in the preseason and was demoted to the practice squad.
With the release of Flynn, the Raiders plan on working out Pat White. He is expected to be in Oakland on Tuesday for a tryout. The Buffalo Bills are also interested in White as a backup quarterback.
Where does Flynn head to? Green Bay was in the market for a backup to Aaron Rodgers. He certainly has had plenty of success there before. Another obvious choice would be Jacksonville. Blaine Gabbert is injured yet again and could be out for some time. Chad Henne is nothing to brag about. Flynn will land somewhere quickly. Just look at how fast Josh Freeman signed on with a team.
