The Shrinking Matt Flynn Market

Remember New Year’s Day, when Matt Flynn set Green Bay single game records by shredding the Lions secondary to the tune of 480 yards and 6 TD’s?  Flynn was suddenly a hot commodity, a free-agent to be, the Next Big Thing.  QB-needy teams were salivating, some fans were actually debating whether he was better than Aaron Rodgers.  His agent was ecstatic!!   As recenlty as last week it was largely assumed that Flynn would get Kevin-Kolb type money to come in and start for Cleveland, or Seattle, or Miami, where his ex-offensive coordinator Joe Philbin was now the head coach.

A funny think happened on the way to the bank.  Reality has overtaken hyperbole.

In our new age of instant information, fans, bloggers and would-be experts can spread hype like some sort of pandemic.  But at the end of the day, coaches know good players from not-so-good players, and apparently, Flynn isn’t as highly regarded as we thought he was going to be.

Miami is waiting by the phone, hoping for Peyton Manning.

Reports out of Cleveland this morning indicate the Browns aren’t interested, probably because they’re poised to take a shot at Ryan Tannehill with the 4th pick in the draft.

And so it is that Flynn travels to Seattle tomorrow for a visit with Seahawks brass.  He’s no longer looking at a long-term deal, or guaranteed money in the $20 million range as was previously speculated.  If Philbin, after nurturing him, coaching him up, and watching his every move over the last 4 years in Green Bay, thought he was a starter, or THE ANSWER, he would have signed by now for starter money.  Manning or no Manning.

Sources close to the Seahawks, sources I trusts, have indicated for over a month that the Hawks would not be in pursuit of Flynn.  But things change, and what’s changed is Flynn’s market value.

If the Seahawks can get Flynn for short-term, low-risk backup money (something like the 2 year/$8 million deal they gave Tavaris Jackson last year) then it would make sense to bring him in.  He could conceivably push Jackson.  He might beat him out.  At worst he would be a solid backup and insurance while whomever Seattle takes in the draft has a chance to aclimate himself without the pressure of playing too soon.

There’s still a chance Manning signs elsewhere (Tennessee?) and Miami turns to Flynn as competition for Matt Moore.  But at this point it looks like the money would be about the same there as it would be in Seattle.

And that’s a far cry from where most thought it would be after seeing his performance on New Year’s Day.