Matt Flynn's Short And Painful Time With The Raiders Is Over
By JL Herrera
Quarterback Matt Flynn's short and unproductive time with the Oakland Raiders is all over. It has been confirmed on Monday that Flynn has been released by the Raiders.
Flynn was acquired by the Oakland Raiders back in April to replace Carson Palmer, who cost too much money. Flynn was given the starting position and things looked good as Flynn was reunited with Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie. Flynn and McKenzie had worked together in Green Bay before reuniting in April.
During training camp, Flynn was being outplayed by Terrelle Pryor. As preseason came, Flynn did not show any promising production and was ousted from the starting position. The same thing happened to Flynn the year prior when he was with the Seattle Seahawks. In that version, Russell Wilson took the starting position from Flynn.
Flynn was traded by the Seahawks in April to the Raiders for a 2014 fifth-round pick. The Raiders guaranteed Flynn $6.5 million for 2013—big bucks for a starter who only had one starting game under his belt with the Packers back in 2011.
With the Seahawks, Flynn signed for $26 million with a $10 million guaranteed. So, Flynn left the Seahawks without starting or playing one game and made some big money.
At least for the Raiders, Flynn got to play one game, which he lost two Sundays ago to the Redskins, and the Raiders decided to let him go shortly after.
Flynn had a chance to shine two Sunday's ago against the Redskins when Terrelle Pryor was out with a concussion, but failed to win or make an impression against a team that had no victories at the time and had one of the worst defenses in the NFL league.
Rumor has it that Matt Flynn might have a chance to get hired by another team. Many are pointing out the Jacksonville Jaguars, but surely enough, the pay will not be anything like the Seahawks or Raiders offered.
On a bad note for the Raiders, the release of Matt Flynn will most likely make General Manager Reggie McKenzie receive heavy criticism since it was McKenzie's idea to trade for Flynn.
Also, the money that is guaranteed to Flynn could have been used for future endeavors. After all, McKenzie had traded an expensive quarterback, Carson Palmer, away to balance out the team's salary cap. Now, with this Matt Flynn situation, $6 million dollars have been blown away.
In the long run, the Raiders will not have to pay Flynn more money. The guarantee contract has offset language stating that the Raiders could earn money that Flynn makes elsewhere if released or cut which happens to be the situation at hand.
On the bright side, the Oakland Raiders can now concentrate on their starting quarterback, who has been showing a lot more promise as the season goes on. Terrelle Pryor has shown the ability to be a leader and to inspire his teammates. This inspiration was exhibited when Pryor led the Raiders to defeat AFC West rivals the San Diego Chargers last Sunday in Oakland.
Additionally, Rookie Matt McGloin had also been moved up to the second stringer spot before the release of Matt Flynn. The decision to promote McGloin happened after Flynn had his rather weak performance against the Washington Redskins.
For more Raiders news and updates, visit Raiders Central.
J.L. Herrera is a huge fan of football and has been following the Raiders since the 1980s during the LA era. J.L. is also a freelance writer and copywriter on the web. He taught English for a little more than a decade in Los Angeles at the secondary level. While writing for web based news outlets, J.L. enjoys reading, creative writing, and watching sports. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
