Blog: Can Matt Flynn Win?

Football season never truly ends. It’s February, which means the NFL free agency picture is beginning to crystallize, and there is no shortage of excitement this year.

My favorite free agent this off-season is Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn. He’s got one of the most lovable stories of any guy out there. He’s a back up behind one of the greatest quarterbacks of this era. Aaron Rodgers will doubtlessly end up on the 2010’s all-decade team when it’s all said and done and may even make his way to Canton if he can rein in another Super Bowl victory.

Needless to say, Flynn isn’t about to fight his way to a starting job in Green Bay. Then, in the last game of the 2011 season, the No. 1 seed Packers decide to rest their starters and Flynn torches the starting defensive lineup of the Detroit Lions and sets a Packers franchise record, throwing six touchdowns. This is definitely an accomplishment considering that the Packers are one of the most historic teams out there, and have had some great players under center over the years (Bart Starr, Brett Favre).

As fate would have it, Flynn’s contract is up this year and he is the hottest quarterback available in a league starving for quarterbacks. Last year’s top free agent quarterback was a guy named Kevin Kolb. Having less than 10 career starts under his belt, Kolb ended up in Arizona with a $60 million contract and a starting job.

Life is good for Flynn. There are several teams out there who could pick him up, but it looks like the most likely team of the bunch is Miami. Miami is a good team, in a great division. They have a solid defense that boasts the least points allowed in the AFC East last season, but their offense scored a division-low 33 touchdowns.

Matt Moore played well at the end of the season, but based on his tenure in Carolina, it is clear that he is not the answer quarterback. Besides the vast improvement in weather that goes along with moving from Green Bay to Miami, Flynn would have many reasons to be happy on the Dolphins. He would find himself leading an offense featuring Brandon Marshall, who racked up about 1,200 yards with Chad Henne and Matt Moore passing to him. Besides Marshall, Flynn would have an above-average number two receiver in Davone Bess, and a running back with huge play-making ability in Reggie Bush, who seems to be on the verge of a breakout season. With Flynn, the Dolphins could make a serious run for the number two slot in the AFC East, and possibly gain a Wild Card playoff spot.

If he doesn’t end up in Miami, Flynn could also find a home on the Seahawks. Tarvaris Jackson is only one year into his stint with Seattle, but on an offense with as many weapons as Seattle’s, he really should’ve done better than 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Sidney Rice, Mike Williams, Zach Miller, and the emerging Doug Baldwin should be posting up much better numbers than they did last season. They already have a solid playmaker in the backfield in Marshawn Lynch, and adding Flynn to pass to these receivers could produce great results. If nothing else, a quarterback position battle in Seattle would bring the best out of each player, and help the team overall. Apart from the 49ers, the NFC West is a joke. The Seahawks could easily get the number two spot, and depending on whether or not that 49ers season was a fluke, could potentially take the division.

If either one of these teams lands Flynn, they will find that he is the last piece of the puzzle. Either way, Matt Flynn is looking at a great 2012 season and a massive paycheck.