The Seahawks signed quarterback Matt Flynn to a three-year, $19 million contract with $10 million guaranteed this year, a contract that suggests they view Flynn as a starter. Incumbent starter Tarvaris Jackson, on the other hand, has a $4 million non-guaranteed base salary, a contract that suggests the Seahawks would be happy to cut Jackson and save his salary if Flynn beats him out in training camp.
But Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says he won’t be thinking about the contracts of Flynn and Jackson -- or about the status of Russell Wilson as a rookie third-round draft pick -- when he makes his decision about who will start. Instead, Carroll says, it will be all about who looks best over the summer.
“Draft picks and money and stuff like that is not going to play in the decision at all,” Carroll told the News-Tribune. “We’re going to go with what it looks like through the competition and how they play, and the results of that, and how we feel about that.”
Carroll said everyone on the Seahawks understands the deal: How you were brought to the team has no bearing on whether you make the team.
“We had to draft a guy in the third round to get him on our team,” Carroll said. “We had to go after a guy in free agency to get him on our team. But they all know, they’ve been informed. They knew before they even signed up with us what the deal was. They’re coming here to battle.”
It’s a battle Flynn is favored to win, even if Carroll says there are no favorites.