Once, Vince Young was a dynamic young quarterback for the Titans, seemingly on the cusp of greatness. Now, he’s just a free agent without a team, hoping for a second chance.
Matt Flynn, on the other hand, was a backup in Green Bay who finally was given the chance to be in the spotlight in Seattle last season but ended up back on the bench.
Now the two quarterbacks – Young from the draft class of 2006 and Flynn from 2008 -- are suddenly united on the rumor wire with both being mentioned as possible acquisitions by the Oakland Raiders.
Now that reports indicate incumbent starting quarterback Carson Palmer does not want to restructure his deal to give Oakland some salary cap relief, it seems possible the team will release him. And if it does, the Raiders will be looking for another quarterback to challenge holdover Terrelle Pryor for the job.
This week, reports have surfaced that the Raiders have been looking at both Young and Flynn.
Young, the former Texas All-American who was the third overall pick of the Titans in the 2006 draft, worked out at the Longhorns’ Pro Day this week and said a few teams have shown interest in him.
“My agent is working on it,” Young told Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. “All I know is we got some teams with interest, so that’s the good part about it. Just hoping for that blessing and opportunity.”
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Ian Rapoport of NFL.com previously had reported Oakland was one of those teams.
After leaving the Titans, Young had brief stints with Buffalo and Philadelphia, but now is looking for a job. At his Pro Day workout, Gil Brandt of NFL.com, the former Dallas Cowboys executive, reported Young “put on a show” and looked good with his movements and accuracy. Young said this offseason he’s been working on his fundamentals.
“That’s my craft. … That’s all I do in the offseason, mechanics,” Young told Rosenthal. “When it’s time for me to get ready for the season, I’m so focused on the plays, the preparation, you don’t want to be thinking about footwork when you get with the team.”
Young would be a low-cost option for the Raiders should they choose to sign him, and he also has a skill set similar to Pryor’s, should the team go to a more read-option offense (if Palmer is released).
Flynn, meanwhile, has a job as the backup to Russell Wilson in Seattle.
But Flynn, originally a seventh-round pick of the Packers out of LSU, is a more expensive option. To get him, the Raiders would have to give up something in a trade with the Seahawks, plus pick up his $5.25 million salary.
Flynn signed as a free agent with Seattle after the 2011 season and was looked upon as the starter until rookie Russell Wilson emerged to win the job.
Now, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, the Raiders are one of three teams – including the Bills and Jaguars – that has interest in trading for Flynn, and a deal could come before April’s draft. Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie knows Flynn well, having been with him in Green Bay.
La Canfora reports the Seahawks might ask for a fourth- or fifth-round pick from the Raiders. Oakland doesn’t have a fifth-round pick in April.
La Canfora also noted that the market for free-agent quarterbacks is quickly evaporating, and that the Raiders – if they release Palmer – will need to soon make a move.
