Matt Flynn Finishes John Schneider's Cycle by Signing with the Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks signed Matt Flynn to a three-year contract on Sunday. The base value is $19 million with an additional $5 million available through incentives. With an additional $2 million in unlikely-to-be-earned bonus money, the entire contract could be worth $26 million. It is a move the franchise believes will get them back to the playoffs. 

Seattle Seahawks fans have spent much of the last week a bit antsy over the apparent lack of progress in free agency. Superstar options like Mario Williams and Peyton Manning gave the team very little attention, and national reports were doubting the Seahawks' ability to land the consolation prize at quarterback, Matt Flynn.

While most saw Seattle reaching for a quarterback early, Seattle passed on the position altogether. Head coach Pete Carroll felt the team had already used a draft pick in 2011 on a quarterback, as they surrendered a draft pick for Charlie Whitehurst.  

General manager John Schneider commented on Seattle's direction at the quarterback position. "We had a plan going in, and we still have our plan. We just can’t execute that plan right now.”

This led to projections of a pending trade once a new collective bargaining agreement was reached. There were a few rumors that teams had inquired about acquiring Matt Flynn from the Green Bay Packers, but they weren't willing to part with their backup.

In November, B/R offered a feature, Seattle Seahawks to Follow an Old Pattern to Land Their New Quarterback? It projected the Seahawks would answer their needs at the position by bringing another backup quarterback named Matt from the Green Bay Packers...one that played behind an MVP and opted to follow a key figure in the organization to Seattle where he became general manager.

Over the weekend, national correspondents were stating they believed Flynn would sign with Miami. However, it seemed unlikely that Schneider would allow a potential franchise quarterback to slip through Seattle's grasp.

He didn't.

Head coach Pete Carroll was understandably pleased with the addition. “We are really excited to bring Matt in here to compete with Tarvaris.”

Last week it seemed likely the Seahawks would sign Flynn and a few other key players to ensure they entered the 2012 NFL draft without any glaring needs. 

Seattle had almost every advantage over the Dolphins in signing Flynn. There was the obvious salary cap advantage, but the contract Flynn signed would have been workable for the Dolphins, too.

Flynn will be surrounded by better offensive talent in Seattle than he would have had in Miami. He should have better protection, as the Seahawks have a better offensive line with the exception of Jake Long.

Seattle also has much better talent at the skill positions. They have quality and depth with their receivers, including Pro Bowl talent in Sidney Rice and Zach Miller. They also have a pair of Pro Bowl players behind Flynn in Marshawn Lynch and Michael Robinson. 

All that was missing from the offense was better quarterback play and cohesion.

Seattle also has one of the better defensive units in the NFL. With a few additions, this is a playoff-caliber team.

The one downside for Flynn in Seattle is he will have to compete to earn the starting job. However, he must believe he is ready to elevate his game. The Packers certainly seem to believe he is ready to be a solid quarterback or they most likely would have traded him last July.