Report: Seahawks trade of Matt Flynn appears ‘imminent’

According to ESPN's Ed Werder, the Seattle Seahawks are engaged in discussions regarding a trade of quarterback Matt Flynn with an unidentified team and that a trade is "imminent".

Multiple NFL reporters, including Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, are indicating that the Seahawks' trade partner for Flynn is the Oakland Raiders.

[Report: Packers, Aaron Rodgers nearing long-term extension]

The Seahawks signed Flynn to a three-year, $19.5 million contract on March 21, 2012. That deal included $10 million in guaranteed money, including $2 million of Flynn's $5.25 million base salary for the 2013 season. Flynn competed with incumbent starter Tarvaris Jackson and 2012 third-round pick Russell Wilson for the starting job last summer. Despite Flynn's solid showing in the preseason, Wilson won the starting job and would validate Pete Carroll's decision, passing for 3,118 yards, tying an NFL single-season rookie record with 26 touchdown passes, and capping the year off by playing in the Pro Bowl.

Flynn took 37 snaps over three games in relief of Wilson last season, completing five of his nine pass attempts for 68 yards.

By trading Flynn, the Seahawks will save $5.25 million in cash and $3.25 million in salary cap space for 2013. Trading Flynn also leaves Wilson as the only quarterback under contract on the Seahawks' 90-man offseason roster. According to La Canfora, one option could be Tyler Thigpen, an unrestricted free agent whose experience with the read-option could make him a natural fit behind Wilson on Seattle's depth chart.

The Raiders were expected to make a change at quarterback this offseason. Carson Palmer, the team's starter the last two seasons, passed for over 4,000 yards with 22 touchdowns in 2012, but is 33-years-old and was not considered to be the team's preferred long-term option at the position. Palmer is due $13 million in base salary in 2013 with a $15.335 million cap figure and, as Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports reported this week, prefers to play elsewhere than take a pay cut with the Raiders.

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A flat-out release of Palmer would save the Raiders $13 million in cash and $5.995 million in salary cap space. Oakland has one "post-June 1" release designation to use this offseason (they used one of their two on Michael Huff), but using that mechanism on Palmer would require the Raiders to continue to carry Palmer's $15.335 million cap figure on the books until June 2, at which time they'll gain $13 million in cap space. Using the "post-June 1" designation on Palmer means he'd also count $7.005 million against the team's 2014 cap.

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