2012 NFL Free Agents: Signing Matt Flynn Is Best Option for QB-Starved Dolphins

A late-season surge eliminated the Miami Dolphins from the sweepstakes to draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. In fact, it's unlikely that they will even be able to draft Baylor's Robert Griffin III.

With that in mind, the Dolphins may have to look to free agency instead.

ESPN's AFC East blogger James Walker is reporting that Miami might have interest in current Green Bay Packers backup signal-caller Matt Flynn. While Flynn has only started two games in his four-year career, he has made them count, particularly when he threw for 480 yards and six touchdowns against the Detroit Lions in Week 17 this season.

Walker likens Flynn to Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb, as both were handed big contracts despite limited playing experience at the NFL level. Signing Flynn may be a bit of a risk, but it's one worth taking for the Fins.

Neither Luck nor Griffin are within reach for the Dolphins in the draft, where they will be picking eighth or ninth pending a coin flip. Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones' decision to return to school essentially sealed Miami's fate in terms of being unable to draft a quarterback in the first round.

It's a possibility that the Dolphins could stick with the serviceable Matt Moore for another season or perhaps even choose to re-sign Chad Henne, but I think it's time for the Dolphins to move forward.

Flynn could turn out to be a home run like Schaub or a virtual bust like Kolb, though.

When it comes to finding a franchise quarterback, tough decisions sometimes have to be made. It's obvious that the Dolphins aren't getting one through the draft, so taking a chance on an unproven commodity like Flynn certainly has merit.

Flynn's one game of excellence could be called an aberration since he had a bevy of outstanding weapons to throw to and he was operating against Detroit's leaky secondary, but it isn't every day that a quarterback throws for nearly 500 yards and six scores in a single game.

Might Flynn simply be a product of the Packers' finely-tuned offensive system? Yes, that's definitely possible, but the Dolphins are desperate for a quarterback right now. Teams that aren't willing to roll the dice aren't going to get far in the NFL, so this seems like a calculated risk worth taking.

Provided the Dolphins make the right moves and get a reasonable out clause included in the contract, there's no reason why they can't give him a hefty, yet fair offer.

If Flynn were to go elsewhere and thrive, then the Dolphins would be kicking themselves because they could have had him.

They missed out on Drew Brees several years ago and ended up settling on Daunte Culpepper instead. That was obviously a disaster and it's something Miami doesn't want to happen again. I'm not saying Flynn is the next Brees, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility.