Washington Football Team: How Taylor Heinicke compares to Kurt Warner, Matt Flynn
How Heinicke compares to Matt Flynn’s flash in the pan
Matt Flynn represents one of the biggest cautionary tales about entrusting an unproven quarterback with either a big-money contract or a starting job.
During his time with the Green Bay Packers, Flynn, a former seventh-round pick from LSU, developed behind Aaron Rodgers for a couple of seasons and didn’t get a chance to make his first start until the 2010 season. He relieved a concussed Rodgers in Week 14 against the Lions but got a chance to start for the Packers against the New England Patriots. He fared well, totaled 251 yards, three touchdowns, and a pick in the loss, but that helped to up Flynn’s reputation.
A year later, Flynn would get another chance to start for the Packers in a meaningless Week 17 game against the Detroit Lions. It was thought to be a good chance for quarterback-needy teams to scout Flynn, and he didn’t disappoint. In a shootout against Matthew Stafford, Flynn posted a whopping 450 passing yards and six touchdowns while completing 70 percent of his passes. He looked like a potential starting quarterback and was set to be a hot commodity on the free-agent market.
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The Seattle Seahawks were the team that managed to land Flynn on a three-year deal worth $20.5 million and $9 million guaranteed — low-end starter money back in the 2012 offseason. His cap number of $4 million was modest enough, but the return on investment for the Seahawks was minimal.
Flynn never started a game for the Seahawks. He was immediately beaten out for the starting job by Russell Wilson after Flynn put together a mediocre preseason and Wilson never looked back from there. The following offseason, Flynn was traded to the then-Oakland Raiders for a fifth-round pick and a conditional pick.
From there, Flynn would bounce around the league and ultimately ended up back where he started, as a backup to Aaron Rodgers. His career ended after the 2014 campaign, and he finished his career having made just seven starts.
The lesson with Flynn is that no matter how good a player has, a one- or two-game sample size simply isn’t enough to evaluate how good a quarterback can be. Flynn ended up being a product of a then-functional Packers system, and the Seahawks realized early on that they had overpaid for a backup. They’re lucky that they drafted Russell Wilson when they did, as they likely would’ve wasted the peak years of a great defense had they been forced to stick with Flynn as a starter.
Washington has to do the same with Heinicke. Yes, Heinicke was excellent against the Buccaneers and did everything he could to help Washington fight for a victory in the playoffs. He was dynamic, generally threw well, and made plays with his legs. But making any massive commitment based on one game, monetarily or otherwise, is a huge risk.
Washington already checked the first box: A reasonable monetary commitment. Heinicke’s contract — two years, $8.75 million with a base salary of $1 million — is much cheaper than that of Flynn and matches the going rate for backup quarterbacks. Heinicke’s presence won’t eat up too many resources, as Flynn did with the Seahawks, so the deal looks like a smart one for the Football Team.
Now, they just have to make sure they use those resources properly. Though they’ll let Heinicke compete for the starting job, they have to add more depth at the QB spot to make sure they have options if Heinicke and Kyle Allen don’t pan out. Any sort of young quarterback with upside would fit the bill and so too would a proven, reliable veteran. Hopefully, they’ll land one of the top passers in this year’s draft class to give the team more upside.