Matt Flynn Trade To Raiders Now Official

Dec 30, 2012, Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Flynn (15) warms up before a game against the St. Louis Rams at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve know this was going to happen for a few days now, but it finally became official today. Matt Flynn is no longer with the Seattle Seahawks.

The official terms of the trade include Seattle getting a 2014 5th round pick, and a conditional pick in 2015 draft. The exact conditions on the 2015 pick are unknown other than that it is “performanced based.” It is thought to be anywhere from a 6th to  4th, but you never know with conditional picks.

This structure of the compensation makes sense for both teams. The Raiders are a bad team that needs their picks in this draft. The Seahawks, on the other hand, are already loaded with late round picks in this year’s draft and have more picks than likely open roster spots. It makes sense for both teams to want to push the compensation out into future years.

Looking back at the poll from Saturday, it seems that only 17% of fans are going to be happy with this return in the trade for Seattle’s backup passer.

Personally though, I think the Seahawks got it right here. I was expecting a 6th round pick, so getting a 5th rounder and an additional pick the following year makes this feel a bit like Christmas. Remember, this trade happened entirely for the cap space it saved the Seahawks. Any picks netted by Seattle are just a nice bonus.