Matt Flynn was set to become this offseason's free-agent quarterback du jour, that is, until Peyton Manning was flung into the waters.
The Packers backup naturally was linked to Joe Philbin -- his old coach -- and the Dolphins, but Miami owner Stephen Ross reportedly is breathing fire, calling for a "full-court press" on Manning.
Flynn might be an afterthought in South Beach, but Packers star Aaron Rodgers believes his teammate is the real deal.
"The team that gets Matt is going to be very happy, I can promise you," Rodgers told SI's Peter King. "They'll be getting a top-15 quarterback."
Top 15?
Not a massive ringing endorsement, but indication that Rodgers believes Flynn is ready to become an NFL starter.
Going by last season's quarterback ratings alone (admittedly, an inconsistent barometer of performance), this would nestle Flynn somewhere in the following range of league arms (because, if Rodgers meant top 10, he would have said top 10):
- Philip Rivers (88.7 QB rating)
- Matt Moore (87.1)
- Jay Cutler (85.7)
- Michael Vick (84.9)
- Cam Newton (84.5) (Not to veer off-topic, but Newton as the 15th-best quarterback in the NFL? Please.)
The next scattering of passers includes Kevin Kolb, Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton, and it's the Kolb reference that has some people worried. We just haven't seen a large body of work from Flynn, even if his two starts were nothing short of sensational. Is this the guy you hang your hat on?
Rodgers spent hundreds of hours alongside Flynn in Green Bay, and presumably believes in this quarterback. We'll find out very soon if some NFL team is willing to take the plunge.
