The deadline to place a franchise or transition tag on pending free agents has
Matt Flynn
come and gone with the Green Bay Packers not tagging their backup quarterback Matt Flynn.
Had Packers general manager franchised Flynn without a deal in place, he have had to try to work out a trade after the start of free agency. But first, Thompson would have had to find a way to clear several million dollars in salary cap space to fit Flynn’s $14.4-million guaranteed salary. Then if he couldn’t find a trade partner, Thompson would have been stuck with a backup quarterback making as much as $6-million more than starter Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers will get a compensatory pick in the 2013 draft for Flynn, a selection that could possibly go as high as a third round pick. Getting a pick that high would depend on how big of a deal Flynn signs with another team as a free agent and just how well he plays.
Flynn isn’t the only player set to become an unrestricted free agent on the Packers roster. Center Scott Wells is the biggest of the names that will be allowed to explore the open market, along with Ryan Grant, Jarrett Bush, and Erik Walden.
The Packers may try to resign Wells if the price is within their range.