Could the Jaguars trade for Matt Flynn?

+ With the hiring of Gus Bradley as the Jacksonville Jaguars new head coach, a lot of fans and the like are beginning to make the connection to Seahawks backup quarterback Matt Flynn, wondering if he'll come to the Jaguars. I asked Danny Kelly of Field Gulls to give us a breakdown of Flynn.

Many fans and analysts in Seattle thought that Matt Flynn would win the starting job for the Seahawks during training camp and I personally attended about a dozen practices, and of course watched every snap of the Seahawks' preseason games, and thought it was a definite possibility. Flynn looked solid and composed, and handled the position like you'd expect a four/five year veteran QB to handle it -- he was poised, obviously knows how to read coverages, wasn't afraid to change plays at the line, and seemed to excel in the short/intermediate range, using his tight ends and receivers well. He looked solid... and I know that's vague, but that's the best word I can come up with to describe him. He does the little things like look off safeties and work his cadence well.

He seems like he'd be a nice fit in a WCO-style scheme, predicated on ball control, timing passing, and some play-action. He's not super dynamic as a runner or thrower; I remember thinking during training camp and preseason that even as a 3rd round rookie, Russell Wilson just 'looked' much more versatile and dangerous - Wilson passed the eye test as a guy that you want to have the football in his hands, but that's not to say that Flynn couldn't be a legitimate starter in the right system. For the Seahawks, who want their QB to move around a lot, throw the ball deep, and even now run the read-option and pistol stuff, Flynn just doesn't really fit that mold, per se, but he's a guy that I would feel good about if you need him to come in and run the offense in a pinch. Just don't expect him to BE the offense, I don't think.

He's been compared to Matt Hasselbeck and I'd maybe liken him to a guy like perhaps Andy Dalton or a more-refined Christian Ponder; give Flynn some weapons and a strong O-Line, and you'd have some potential. Ask him to put the offense on his back and do everything? That might be pushing it, honestly. That said, he did put up some ridiculous numbers as the Packers' starter for several games and played extremely well against some decent to good defenses, so he will forever intrigue front offices and fans.

If I'm looking for a patch QB for a year or two with the ability to run an offense with veteranosity, Flynn looks good to me. Personally, I wouldn't be looking to trade for Flynn so as to anoint as a Franchise QB, but some people might disagree with me.

Flynn's contract was/is for 3-years and $19.5M, with $10M guaranteed, plus up to $5M in escalators ($24.5M total, possible.. but that's only if he's playing like a Pro Bowler, I think). That guaranteed $10M was a $6M signing bonus, $2m of his 2012 salary and $2M of his salary in 2013. So, he's due $5.25M in '13 and $6.25M in '14. Not terrible for a starting QB, but pretty pricey for a backup (hence, the Seahawks will look to trade him, I expect). Considering 'backup money' might be more in the neighborhood of $2-$4M or so, or less, the Hawks will likely look for a FA backup or a draft pick.