Aaron Rodgersweighed in Wednesday on what is sure to be one of the hottest offseason topics: Where will free agent quarterback Matt Flynn land? With ex-Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin taking over as Dolphins head coach, Rodgers connected the dots and suggested that Flynn could follow Philbin to Miami -- a franchise certainly looking for a long-term answer at QB.
In addition to the Dolphins, which franchises do you expect to make a run on Flynn?
Part of what Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and GM Jeff Ireland tried to sell Jeff Fisher on was the idea that their franchise was "just a quarterback away" from contention. And given that Joe Philbin is now the head man, Matt Flynn could certainly be the right quarterback to smooth the transition in system and help lift those around him.
If you believe organizationally that you're "a quarterback away," then that quarterback shouldn't need to be an established superstar. And yes, the Peyton Manning buzz has merit. But the larger problem is that if Manning's health issues persist into March and April, with his being an unpredictable injury to begin with, chances are the Dolphins will have to move forward at the position. The 27-year-old Flynn then becomes a very logical option.
I said this a couple of weeks ago, and it bears repeating now: The Jets should give up on this foolish dream of going after Peyton Manning and instead focus on Matt Flynn.
And yeah, people love to make jokes about Kevin Kolb because of his struggles. But Kolb never put in a performance like Flynn's Week 17 clinic against Detroit. Besides, there have been just as many success stories of backup quarterbacks who have gone on to have success in the NFL. Just look at the Packers' history of churning out guys like Matt Hasselbeck and Mark Brunell.
The Jets should look for the future, instead of recycling the past.
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- Jason Smith NFL.com
Washington and Cleveland could emerge in Flynn sweepstakes
Well, that's the (40) Million Dollar Question, isn't it? Is Matt Flynn the next Matt Schaub or the next Kevin Kolb? While I agree with Rodgers on a Philbin reunion, I'm not so sure about Seattle. They don't strike me as a team that thinks it needs a productive quarterback -- even though they do. They let Matt Hasselbeck go, didn't try to take one of the many quarterbacks in last year's draft, and rode this year out with Tarvaris Jackson. I think they'll be a non-player. Washington could emerge, though, since it's obvious they need a starter. Flynn will be too expensive for a team to bring in for a competition, so it has to be a full-time opening, and there ain't that many. The Browns could be a possibility if they don't go for Robert Griffin III. But that's really it, barring a huge shift in a teams' philosophies.
Obviously, this is a huge gamble on Flynn with such a limited résumé, but you have to take chances at the QB position if you're not draft-fortunate. (If you're not getting Andrew Luck or RG3 early, who else are you going to throw money at?) There's a reason why free agent quarterbacks are free agents -- because they're not as good, or they'd be locked up already. There's always money for a QB if a team wants to keep him.
I think Rodgers is right on with Miami. Joe Philbin knows Matt Flynn's strengths and would know how to cater to him the same way Mike Holmgren did when he brought Matt Hasselbeck to Seattle.
Seattle and Oakland seem like other teams that could be interested, with new Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie being very familiar with Flynn from their days together in Green Bay. McKenzie already said Carson Palmer will have competition, and Flynn, young and tough, would ramp up the stakes immediately. The Seahawks seem fairly pleased with Tarvaris Jackson, but they can't solely roll with him. Neither of those teams are going to get into a bidding war, though.
The draft appears to be a two-man race at quarterback with Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III coming off the board in the first two or three picks. That means a number of teams will still be searching for a QB. If Flynn is free and not franchise-tagged, which I suspect will be the case, then it only costs money to acquire him -- and the team that does will still have all its draft picks intact. That makes his value go up. There will definitely be a few teams besides Miami that are going to get in the race for Flynn -- or at least see what the opening bid is to get in the game.
Seattle, Cleveland, Oakland and Washington should be players in the Flynn sweepstakes if they don't move up for Griffin or somehow, some way wind up in discussions with Peyton Manning. Seattle and Cleveland already run very similar systems to what Flynn learned up in Green Bay. Oakland's new GM has been with Flynn since he was drafted, and the Redskins are deal-makers.
Even if Joe Philbin had not been named the head coach in Miami, the Dolphins probably still would've been intrigued by Matt Flynn. Other teams that could potentially discuss Flynn are Seattle (current starter: Tarvaris Jackson) and Washington (Rex Grossman). Wild cards include Cleveland (Colt McCoy) and -- dare I say it -- Denver (Tim Tebow). Remember, the key words in this blurb are "potentially discuss."