NFL Trade Rumors: Matt Flynn Heading To Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars?

Update [3:54 p.m.]: According to La Canfora, Flynn is expected to be on his way to Oakland.

When Russell Wilson emerged as the clear No. 1 quarterback in 2012, backup Matt Flynn and his sizable contract became expendable for the Seattle Seahawks.

Now there are rumblings that the 27-year-old could be on the move, according to Ed Werder of ESPN via Twitter. Werder has said the trade is “imminent,” but that the “trade partner [is] unknown.”

The Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills were speculated partners, according to ProFootball Talk.com, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are another interested team, as reported by Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

After he essentially rode the Green Bay Packers bench for four seasons, Flynn earned himself a three-year $19.5 million contract with the Seahawks with one start. He tossed six touchdowns for 480 yards against Detroit in Week 17 of the 2011 season.

But Flynn lost his assumed starting position to Wilson during training camp, and Seattle can now unload his major deal to free up cap space. Flynn’s cap hit for the 2013 season his $7.25 million, with $5 million tied to salary. That’s well above the $526,000 Wilson is set to make, according to Spotrac.com.

Oakland would be an interesting destination, but Raiders management first have to decide what to do with Carson Palmer, who reportedly is interested in a switch to a contending team. Palmer was asked to take a pay cut to his $13 million wage next season, but refused, and the cap-strapped Raiders are now at an impasse.

The Bills are technically one step ahead of Oakland, having released the inconsistent Ryan Fitzpatrick. Now Buffalo has Tavaris Jackson and Aaron Corp as the listed quarterbacks on its roster.

Jacksonville’s experiment with first-round draft pick Blaine Gabbert has not produced as hoped, and the Missouri product was angered by reports that he was known as “Blame Gabbert” amongst the Jaguars staff.

The 23-year-old missed the final six games of the 2012 season due to injury, but improved on the poor accuracy from his rookie year by nearly 10 percent, going from 50.8 to 58.3 last year.

Considering Flynn’s huge contract, Seattle may not get the best end of the deal, since the receiving team would be asked to take on salary in any trade.

The Seahawks have already been active in the trade market, having acquired wide receiver Percy Harvin from the Minnesota Vikings earlier this month.