Matt Flynn is coming to Seattle.

Whether Green Bay's backup quarterback stays is another question entirely, but the Seahawks are expected to take their first look at a free-agent quarterback when Flynn arrives Thursday.

Seattle had a visit scheduled with free-agent quarterback Chad Henne of Miami, but that was canceled after Henne reached an agreement to sign with Jacksonville on Wednesday evening. That leaves Seattle looking at Flynn, the player many expected to be the Seahawks' priority in free agency.

He plays the position that is the biggest long-term question mark in Seattle. Starter Tarvaris Jackson is signed only through next season, and Josh Portis — an undrafted rookie in 2011 — is the only other quarterback on the roster.

Flynn has a familiar pedigree coming from Green Bay. After all, that's the same organization that traded Matt Hasselbeck to Seattle 11 years ago. There's a little more history, too. John Schneider — now Seattle's general manager — was in the Packers' front office when they drafted Flynn in the seventh round in 2008.

But no one should jump to conclusions or characterize Flynn's addition as imminent. He's still a largely inexperienced quarterback, and there's a very real question of just how much the Seahawks will offer a quarterback with two career starts.

Is Seattle convinced enough of Flynn's potential to offer a deal that is significantly more than the two-year, $8 million contract that Seattle has used as its baseline for a quarterback it sees as a potential starter down the road? That was the contract Seattle signed Charlie Whitehurst to in 2010 before he had attempted a regular-season pass, and it was largely the same deal used to acquire Jackson last year.

Maybe Seattle does see Flynn as a different caliber of prospect, a player worth a significantly higher investment. But a year ago, Seattle wasn't willing to make the kind of financial commitment that Kevin Kolb got from Arizona or part with the draft picks it would have taken to acquire him, and Kolb had more experience than Flynn.

The Seahawks aren't the only team that figures to be interested in Flynn. The Cleveland Browns also need a quarterback, and that franchise's president, Mike Holmgren, is also familiar with finding solutions from the second tier of Green Bay's depth chart.

The Dolphins are also looking for a quarterback, and Joe Philbin, their new coach, was Flynn's offensive coordinator in Green Bay. Miami is also a suitor for Peyton Manning, who visited Tennessee on Wednesday.

That's just one more reason the quarterback market is a little more complicated this year. Even something as straightforward as Seattle's interest in Flynn comes with the question of how big a financial commitment the team is willing to make.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com