MATT FLYNN SIGNS WITH SEATTLE.

Quarterback Matt Flynn met with the Seahawks on Friday and then flew to South Beach for a visit with the Dolphins, the pre-free-agency favorites to sign him because of his relationship with Miami head coach Joe Philbin. Instead, Flynn, the former seventh-round pick out of LSU, inked a three-year deal with Seattle on Sunday CBSSports.com's Clark Judge confirmed. The deal is worth up to $26 million ($10 million guaranteed) Sunday, according to NFL Network's Jason La Canfora.
The move means that Tarvaris Jackson, who started for Seattle much of last season, will almost certainly be the backup heading into training camp, although Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said in a statement that"We are really excited to bring Matt in here to compete with Tarvaris."

For the Dolphins, their search for a quarterback continues. Both teams were in the chase for Peyton Manning but Manning has since whittled the list to Denver, Tennessee and San Francisco. Miami hosted former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith Sunday and former Jaguars starter David Garrard is scheduled to meet with the team later in the week.

On Saturday, Flynn arrived in Miami and met with team officials. For much of the offseason, conventional wisdom had Flynn landing with the Dolphins. He spent the first four years of his career as a backup in Green Bay, where Philbin was an offensive assistant until he was hired by Miami earlier this year.

And while there were some concerns that Flynn might not leave Seattle on Friday without signing a contract, his father, Alvin Flynn, said that his son wasn't going to do anything without first meeting with the Dolphins.

“He said [Seattle] was a really nice place, and he enjoyed it, but he wanted to look at both of them. That was the way he felt going in,” Alvin Flynn told the Palm Beach Post's Ben Volin. Heading into the weekend, there was a report that Flynn wanted to sign with the Dolphins but the organization was low-balling him.

And now Miami is back where they started a week ago. Which is to say, they'll continue their search for their next franchise quarterback, a journey that dates back to 1999, the last year Dan Marino played in the NFL.

Silver lining: Instead of overpaying for unproven talents like Flynn or Smith, CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco points out that the Dolphins might be stuck with Matt Moore, who took over for an injured Chad Henne in 2011.

"The Dolphins should forget it for now and play Moore," Prisco wrote Sunday before Flynn signed with Seattle. "Or decide if Ryan Tannehill is the answer and draft him if they can. If not, maybe it's USC's Matt Barkley next year, or maybe another passer will emerge. At this time last year, who thought Robert Griffin III would be the second overall pick? Or two years ago, Cam Newton the top pick?"