No one is going to have to trade for Matt Flynn this offseason.
The Packers elected not to use their franchise tag on the backup quarterback, which means he’ll hit the market as an unrestricted free agent on March 13th. The decision wasn’t unexpected, although Green Bay likely considered using the tag in order to get something more than a mid-round draft pick as compensation when another team moves to make Flynn their starting quarterback.
Franchising Flynn would have carried a $14.4 million price tag, a pretty hefty meatball for a team with other salary cap concerns. They would have had to release other players by March 13th to make room for Flynn and then they would have to hold off on making moves while waiting to deal him. Any team looking to make a trade for Flynn would know that the Packers had to make a deal quickly to open up cap space, something that could lead to drawn-out negotiations that hurt the team’s ability to address other needs.
Flynn will be one of the hottest names on the free agent market. The Dolphins, Seahawks, Browns and Redskins have all been talked about as potential bidders for his services.