Flynn and McCoy are Lastest Quarterbacks to be Traded

The Oakland Raiders traded for Matt Flynn (left) to compete with Terrelle Pryor (right) for their starting quarterback position. (Getty Images)

With the weakest draft class of quarterbacks in recent memory, many NFL teams are resorting to trading for options to compete with who they currently have. The Kansas City Chiefs were the first team to make a move. They acquired veteran Alex Smith from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2013 second-round draft pick and a 2014 conditional second-round draft pick. Today, two more quarterbacks were on their way to new homes due to accepted trades.

The Oakland Raiders acquired quarterback Matt Flynn from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2014 draft and a conditional pick in 2015. Flynn has waited for a long time to be given the reigns of a team as a starting quarterback. He spent for years backing up Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. The Seahawks signed Flynn prior to last season, but he got beat out by rookie sensation Russell Wilson.

The Raiders knew they needed to bring a new quarterback in once they found that veteran Carson Palmer wasn't the answer. He failed to get Oakland to the playoffs in 2011, falling one game short. Last season, the Raiders regressed and finished 4-12. With Palmer owed $13 million for this season and the Raiders in rebuilding mode, general manager Reggie McKenzie decided to get a quarterback he was familiar with from his time in Green Bay.

Flynn did shine in his limited playing experience with the Packers. For example, he was 31-for-44 for 480 yards and six touchdown passes in the Packers' 2010 season finale win over the Detroit Lions. The Raiders do also have Terrelle Pryor who got limited action late last season after Palmer got injured.

In last season's regular season finale, Pryor went 13-for-28 for 150 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 24-21 loss to the Chargers. He also ran for 49 yards and a touchdown. Pryor showed signs of being capable of effectively running a NFL offense. It appears to be a fairly open race to see whether Flynn or Pryor will emerge during this offseason as the Raiders' starting quarterback.

The Seahawks are of course set with Wilson as their starter. They also have Tyler Thigpen on their roster, who is expected to be Wilson's primary backup. Thigpen has substantial NFL experience, including playing in 14 games with the Chiefs in 2008. The Seahawks will need to add one more quarterback to their roster. Matt Leinart is a possibility to rejoin his collegiate coach Pete Carroll, who is now the head coach of the Seahawks.

The Cleveland Browns traded backup quarterback Colt McCoy to the 49ers. The Browns sent McCoy and a sixth-round pick (173rd overall) in exchange for the 49ers' picks in the fifth (164th overall) and seventh rounds (227th overall). This trade seems to be a win-win for both the Browns and their former starter.

During his three seasons with the Browns, McCoy went 6-15 as a starter. This really should have come as no surprise. McCoy was projected to be a solid backup quarterback, but not a consistent starter. Additionally, with a weaker arm strength, he didn't have a chance of succeeding in Cleveland weather. The Browns really made a mistake using a third-round pick on him in the first place.

McCoy now gets a refreshing new start with the 49ers. He goes from one of the worst teams in the NFL to a Super Bowl contender. McCoy will compete against Scott Tolzien to be the backup to starter Colin Kaepernick. I expect that McCoy will win the job and will be ready in case of injury to Kaepernick.

This gives the Browns more financial flexibility at the quarterback position. This means that the Browns will likely give last season's starter Brandon Weeden every chance to earn the starting job again. He will likely get the majority of the first-team snaps during the team’s offseason.The Browns did bring in veteran Jason Campbell to compete with Weeden, so that is something to keep an eye on.

Top NFL Head Coaching Candidates

Former Super Bowl winner John Gruden will reportedly interview for head coaching vacancies around the NFL. (Getty Images)

With seven NFL head coaching vacancies now available, it is time to examine the possible replacement candidates. My top five will be listed first and will be followed by five additional possibilities after.

1. Jon Gruden, former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach

Whenever you have the opportunity to get a Super Bowl-winning coach, it’s definitely worth taking a shot. Gruden is reportedly interested in coaching again and willing to listen and/or interview for openings. He will likely want to come into a situation with pieces already in place to work with. Gruden know the game inside and out and would be a great hire for anyone who is able to get him. He is almost certainly going to return to coaching. It is just a matter of when and where.

Possible Landing Spots: San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears

2. Bruce Arians, Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator/interim head coach

Arians did an excellent job filling in as the Colts interim head coach during Chuck Pagano's absence. He guided the Colts to a 9-3 record and an unexpected playoff berth. Along with his head coaching duties, Arians continued to run the offense and played an important role in the development of rookie quarterback Andrew Luck. He was already highly regarded around the league for his offensive prowess, but now he has proven he can handle the responsibility of being a head coach as well.

Possible Landing Spots: San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills

3. Chip Kelly, University of Oregon head coach

Kelly has has turned Oregon into perennial national contender in his four seasons at the helm. He has created an offensive juggernaut that is difficult for any collegiate team to shut down. Kelly is considered to be a hot commodity around the NFL. Many people think his creativity will transfer will to the pros. With the NCAA breathing down his neck and potential sanctions looming, the time for Kelly to go may be now. He might as well take the Pete Carroll approach and bail ship while he can.

Possible Landing Spots: Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs

4. Andy Reid, former Philadelphia Eagles head coach

Yes, Andy Reid did just get fired from his job as Eagles head coach, but his time in Philadelphia was fairly impressive. He boasts a 129-88-1 record in his career, and he guided the Eagles to the playoffs in nine of his 13 seasons, including one Super Bowl appearance. There are many NFL owners who would love to have a man like that coaching their team. Reid is still only 54 and one of the most well-respected coaches around the league. He should at least get interviews for many of the head coaching vacancies.

Possible Landing Spots: San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns

5. Mike McCoy, Denver Broncos offensive coordinator

McCoy is one of the hottest names around the league. Given the Broncos’ offensive success this season and last, it should come as no surprise. McCoy built an entire offensive scheme around Tim Tebow as his quarterback last season. Then, he completely revamped the offense with an entirely different system to fit Peyton Manning for this season. At just 40 years old, McCoy fits the mold of the young mind team's love to hire. With the adaptability and diligence to hard work he has already shown, it is just a matter of time before he gets a head coaching gig.

Possible Landing Spots: Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, Buffalo Bills

Five Additional Names to Keep an Eye On

• Perry Fewell, New York Giants defensive coordinator
• Greg Roman, San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator
• Bill O’Brien, Penn State University head coach
• Mike Zimmer, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator
• Dirk Koetter, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator

NFL Week 15 Preview and Predictions

Tom Brady will look to lead the New England Patriots to another win over at home on Sunday Night Football. (AP Photo)

5. Washington Redskins (7-6) @ Cleveland Browns (5-8) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX


The Washington Redskins are making a push for the playoffs. They will look to win five straight games for the first time in seven seasons, but will have to do it without their inspirational leader at quarterback, Robert Griffin III. Griffin suffered a sprained knee and the Redskins have announced that fellow rookie Kirk Cousins will start in his place on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Cousins played very well in relief of Griffin last week. He will look to improve on that performance in this game. The Browns won't make the playoffs, but they are playing great football and are on a three-game winning streak of their own. Trent Richardson should continue to be the focal point of the offense. As the Browns' leading rusher and receiver, a big game out of the running back will help rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden to succeed as well.

Prediction: Redskins 24 Browns 20

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) @ Dallas Cowboys (7-6) - 4:25 PM EST, CBS

These two historic rivals have struggled with consistency this season. The Steelers have a number of great big game victories, but have also suffered some surprising losses to middling teams. They got Ben Roethlisberger back from injury last week, but he had a considerable amount of rust in that game due to the long layoff without playing. The Steelers defense will have to play much better as well, especially after allowing the San Diego Chargers to score 34 points last week. As I already mentioned, the Cowboys have been a very inconsistent football team as well this season. Their longest winning or losing streak is only two games. They will look to put that behind them as they look for their third straight victory Sunday. Both teams need a win badly with a spot in the playoffs on the line. The Steelers need a win to stay ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals for the sixth and final spot in the AFC playoffs. Meanwhile, the Cowboys need a win and some help to sneak into the postseason.

Prediction: Steelers 23 Cowboys 20

3. Green Bay Packers (9-4) @ Chicago Bears (8-5) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX

The Packers beat the Bears 23-10 at home way back in Week 2. Now, the Bears look to get revenge on their rivals with the division lead on the line. The Packers have won seven out of their last eight games. The Packers are looking for a sixth consecutive victory over the archrival Bears. The win would secure them the NFC North title. Meanwhile, the Bears have lost four out of their last five. Suffering from injuries on both sides of the ball, they will look to piece together a complete effort in this one. The Bears offense will likely need to improve for them to have a chance to win. They have scored only 72 points in their past five games. Starting quarterback Jay Cutler is expected to play, but will be without one of his favorite targets, Earl Bennett due to injury.

Prediction: Packers 27 Bears 17

2. New York Giants (8-5) @ Atlanta Falcons (11-2) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX

Last week, the Giants trounced the New Orleans Saints to pick up a much needed win to stay in sole possession of first place in the NFC East. They will need another win Sunday if they want to be assured of that again. Running back David Wilson was the star of the win over the Saints. After taking a kickoff return 97 yards for a touchdown, he rushed for 100 yards and two more scores. Quarterback Eli Manning added four touchdown passes, but also threw two interceptions. The Falcons are trying to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Those ambitions took a step backwards when Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers ran all over Atlanta. Newton burned the Falcons defense for 403 total yards and three total (two passing and one rushing) touchdowns. The Falcons offense also needs to make sure they are getting the ball into the endzone. Quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 342 passing yards, but had only two passing touchdowns and an interception. They also only got an unacceptable 35 rushing yards in the loss.

Prediction: Falcons 24 Giants 23

1. San Francisco 49ers (9-3-1) @ New England Patriots (10-3) - 8:20 PM EST (Sunday), NBC

Both these teams are looking for first-round byes in the playoffs. A win Sunday would be huge for both teams' chances. The 49ers have five straight wins over teams not named the St. Louis Rams, who they are 0-1-1 against. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has played well, but needs to work on finding the end zone. He has no passing touchdowns in each of the past two games. Running back Frank Gore also hasn't had a 100-yard rushing game in the past six weeks either. Both players need to step up and play well because they have got their work cut out for them against New England. Not only are the Patriots winners of seven straight, they are going for their 14th straight win in December and 21st straight at home during the month. Quarterback Tom Brady thrives in the spotlight. In last week's rout of the Houston Texans, he threw four touchdown passes in just over a half of work. The Patriots defense has improved as well, holding teams to 19 points or less in their last three games.

Prediction: Patriots 24 49ers 20