Report: Oakland Raiders to Acquire Matt Flynn from Seattle Seahawks

In a trade that shocks absolutely no one, the Oakland Raiders are set to acquire quarterback Matt Flynn from the Seattle Seahawks thus ending one of the most speculated about trade sweepstakes this offseason. The Alex Smith trade talks had been ongoing for sometime before he was dealt to the Kansas City Chiefs, but Flynn’s journey to Oakland is every bit as interesting.

First off, there’s the obvious story about Flynn, which is that he earned a massive payday from the Seattle Seahawks after playing in just one convincing game during his career with the Green Bay Packers. Flynn’s week 17 performance against the Detroit Lions in 2011 was apparently enough for the Seahawks to anoint him their multi-million starter.

The only problem was soon-to-be rookie sensation Russell Wilson beat Flynn out of the starting job in training camp and failed to give it up while leading Seattle to the NFC Divisional playoffs. With Wilson’s meteoric rise to the top of the NFL’s quarterbacking class, Flynn became increasingly expendable, especially with the large contract he was carrying.

Down in Oakland, the Raiders gambled big to get Carson Palmer and like with most things they do, it has failed miserably and expensively. The Raiders are now in a tough spot where they want to keep him on roster but not at the salary he’s due to make, which is slightly north of the $13 million dollar range. There’s also the Terrelle Pryor factor which complicates things further.

The Raiders are hoping by acquiring Flynn, they can decide which guy is best for the job by trading for him. Flynn is entering another situation where he could be usurped in training camp by a young, mobile quarterback but this time around he’s not battling an injury and may get a better shot to prove himself. But proving himself is something he still need to do, as many still aren’t sold on Flynn after seeing just one solid game out of him.

Oakland acquiring Flynn also potentially changes the face of the NFL Draft, as prior to this it was widely speculated that Oakland was keen on drafting West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith. With Flynn in town now, that obviously won’t be the case but if Jacksonville passes on him, the rest of the Top 10 may have just gotten a little shake up thanks to the Raiders and Matt Flynn.