NFL Free Agency: Why Jason Campbell Is a Better Pick Than Matt Flynn

Jason Campbell is perhaps the most forgotten man in Free Agency this year.

Whilst the National Football League is about to be inundated with a plethora of star quarterbacks available—Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Flynn, Peyton Manning—Jason Campbell needs to be remembered on that list also.

If not for his injury, Campbell would have led the Oakland Raiders to the NFL Playoffs in the 2011-12 season. They were 4-2 after all before his injury and finished the season 4-6 without him.

The many sides in the National Football League that are looking to Green Bay back-up Matt Flynn as a free agent option need also to look to Campbell.

To some extent, every team in the league is different and has different strengths and weaknesses, meaning that certain quarterbacks are going to fit better in different teams. It's a matter of fact.

Yet Matt Flynn's success throughout the season just gone—namely one six-touchdown effort against the Detroit Lions in Week 17—is no reason to choose him ahead of Campbell.

Think about it.

Most teams that want a quarterback in free agency must not be satisfied with the performance that their current man under center is delivering, otherwise they wouldn't want another quarterback.

More than likely then, said team will have developed a strong running game to combat the inefficient passing game. More than likely, their defense will have improved as a result of being on the field more and receivers are simply not going to be as good because they don't get the same amount of balls thrown to them.

The likes of Calvin Johnson and A.J. Green look good because they have a solid quarterback who is able to throw the pass. Alternatively, Matthew Stafford and Andy Dalton are made to look good because they have guys who can catch the ball—even when it's not a perfect throw.

For Matt Flynn, a large amount of his success must go down to the likes of Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley and Jordy Nelson, who all took solid grabs in his six-touchdown effort against the Lions.

Whether Flynn would flourish in a team whose receiving core is not as strong still remains to be seen, and it's this season that lends itself to Jason Campbell being seen as the more appropriate outcome.

Teams without a solid quarterback will usually resort to a dominant running game, as we've said already and Campbell has shown through his play with Darren McFadden at Oakland that he can play well with a great ground game.

Campbell is not throwing to Pro Bowl receivers, nor is he throwing to ten-year veteran wide-receivers who can make incredible plays over thrown passes.

He's throwing and playing with the caliber of players that most NFL teams have, which compared to the Green Bay Packers offense, is significantly less.

Flynn plays with the big guys and looks good doing it, and he may very well end up achieving success at another team because at the end of the day, he is a very good quarterback for the future.

However, for most teams, Campbell is the more viable and practical option.

Campbell is playing with the class of players that the likes of the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins possess, and he's doing more than just playing.

He's winning, which when push comes to shove, is all a quarterback needs to do.

Just ask Tim Tebow.

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