Could the Green Bay Packers Use the Franchise Tag on QB Matt Flynn?

Now that the Green Bay Packers have avoided a potentially messy situation by signing tight end Jermichael Finley to a two-year, $15 million deal instead of putting the franchise tag on him, the conversation shifts to who the Packers may ultimately franchise.

One option for the tag is backup quarterback Matt Flynn, but doing so would be an expensive gamble that the Packers aren't going to make lightly.

The franchise number for quarterbacks for the 2012 season is $14.4 million. While the Packers aren't quite capable of using the tag on Flynn just yet, with approximately $10 million to $11 million in cap space, there are cuts and restructures still to be made. That money could become available in the coming days and weeks.

If that is the case, the Packers have quite the decision to make. Should the team franchise Flynn rather than let him remain an unrestricted free agent, they would be almost certain to get more in return for him via trade than just the compensatory pick due to them once another team snags him off the market.

However, that isn't guaranteed. Though both Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Packers beat writer Tom Silverstein and Sports Illustrated's Peter King thinks there's a good chance the team franchises Flynn, other reports say the team will only do so if there is an agreement-in-principle with another team that wants to trade for him.

If the Packers franchise Flynn, that's a tip-off that the team has a trade partner for him. Otherwise, it's far too expensive for Green Bay to franchise and retain him.

Should the Packers not tag Flynn, look for the team to do so instead with center Scott Wells.

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