9:55am: It’s a one-year deal for Lindley, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets.
8:45am: The Patriots made a change at quarterback early Monday morning as they notified Matt Flynn of his release, according to Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com tweets. Taking his place as the No. 3 quarterback in New England will be Ryan Lindley, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter).
Flynn joined the Pats in June but he didn’t see much time on the practice field. The quarterback was placed on the non-football injury list last month before Patriots veterans reported to training camp and he never took the field before his release. The 30-year-old has spent most of his career with the Packers, parlaying a huge Week 17 game in 2011 into a three-year contract with the Seahawks in free agency. After never starting a game in Seattle, Flynn bounced around the league a little, joining the Bills and Raiders before returning to Green Bay. Now, he’ll look to join up with yet another team.
Lindley now joins Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo on the Pats’ quarterback depth chart. Of course, with Brady currently facing a four-game suspension, the role of No. 3 QB in New England now carries extra importance. Lindley’s presence will also ensure that Brady won’t have to spend any unnecessary time on the field in Thursday’s preseason opener. Garoppolo, presumably, will take the bulk of the offensive snaps with Brady on the sideline for much of the game.
Does Flynn have another Packers run in him? They still just have Tolzien as Rodgers’ backup.