3 Reasons the Oakland Raiders Smartly Handled the Matt Flynn Trade

Bravo to the Oakland Raiders for how they obtained ex-Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Flynn.

A trade has been simmering since Friday, and today the teams reached an agreement in principle, according to ESPN. 

Here are three ways in which the team helped itself as it continues rebuilding under general manager Reggie McKenzie.

 

1. Added competition at quarterback

Going into today, the Oakland Raiders had only one quarterback signed to their roster: raw third-year player Terrelle Pryor.

Pryor showed some promise in his season-ending start against the San Diego Chargers.  Although he completed only 13 of 28 passes, his already-elite scrambling kept numerous plays alive, accounting for two touchdowns passing and one rushing.

One certainly can make the argument that he should start for the team this season based on his upside, his en vogue running ability and the team's probable desire to identify a franchise quarterback sooner rather than later.

And with Flynn in the picture, that mission gained much-needed momentum.

 



 

 

 

 

Based on its lack of public comments about Pryor this offseason (i.e., virtually none), the team appears wary of simply handing the reins to a still-unproven commodity.

Flynn is similarly unseasoned (141 career regular-season passing attempts, per NFL.com). 

However, two seasons ago while with Green Bay, he demonstrated enough wherewithal in starts against New England (YouTube) and Detroit (YouTube) to indicate that he can lead an offense that caters to his abilities.   

Unless the team makes the now-unlikely move of investing a high 2013 draft pick on a quarterback, Flynn and Pryor will be battling it out this summer.
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders