AP

When Tarvaris Jackson signed with the Seahawks as a free agent in 2011, Pete Carroll didn’t waste any time before installing him as the team’s starting quarterback.

Carroll is taking a different course of action this time. Carroll spoke to the media on a conference call Monday and said that he didn’t make Matt Flynn any promises about the starting job while courting him as a free agent. He’s not ready to make any promises at this point either.

“We now have the opportunity to make it an open competition,” Carroll said, via 710-AM in Seattle.

Flynn joined the conference call after Carroll and said nothing to dispute the notion that he came to town without any guarantee beyond his salary.

“Whatever happens, whatever my role is, I just want to make the Seattle Seahawks a better football team,” Flynn said.

Time will tell if Carroll is just engaging in coach-speak to keep from ruffling any feathers. Flynn’s deal isn’t massive, but $10 million in guaranteed money is still a fair amount for a player who might not be playing a regular role for the team. The rest of the roster looks strong, but the Seahawks won’t go as far as they hope if they have another year with just a partial fix at the quarterback spot.