If anyone knows about the perils of handing a lucrative contract to an under-qualified quarterback, it’s Matt Flynn.
On Monday, former Broncos’ quarterback Brock Osweiler agreed to terms with the Houston Texans. NFL.com reports the deal is worth a hefty 72 million over 4 years.
Flynn, who signed a 3-year $20 million deal ($9 million guaranteed) with the Seattle Seahawks after starting one game in the 2011 season, expressed his surprise (along with an appropriate dose of self-deprecating humor) at Osweiler’s deal via Twitter:
Wow I know I'm going to get killed for this and I don't have a lot of room to talk, but this latest QB contract is unbelievable…….. 😮
— Matt Flynn (@mflynn3) March 9, 2016
While Osweiler’s and Flynn’s situations are far from identical, they do present an interesting parallel.
Flynn, at the time a backup for the Green bay Packers, threw for 6 touchdowns and 480 yards in a meaningless Week 17 matchup with the Detroit Lions in 2011.
A year after inking his deal with Seattle, he was traded to Oakland for a fifth-round pick. Six months later, the Raiders cut him.
To be fair, Osweiler does have a better track record than Flynn did before signing on the dotted line.
Osweiler started seven games over the course of the season with the Broncos, and compiled a 4-2 record in his starts, including an epic win over the Patriots. It should also be noted that Brock led a team that eventually won the Super Bowl (albeit with Peyton Manning more regularly at the helm).
But the biggest difference between the pair isn’t the playing time, it’s the money. Flynn’s deal looks like child’s play to Osweiler’s; Osweiler’s deal calls for $72 million over the course of four seasons, and his guaranteed money ($37 million) is more than twice the total value of Flynn’s contract.
You can’t blame Flynn for his incredulity: Osweiler’s new contract has him making more than the likes of Tom Brady and Carson Palmer, all based on his performance in just seven games.
The Texans, who were thrashed 30-0 by the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs this year, are hoping, no, praying that Osweiler is the answer to their postseason woes. But if he can’t live up to the hype, it could be the Matt Flynn situation all over again.