FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A closer look at the contract signed by quarterback Matt Flynn with the New England Patriots:

Terms: One year, $950,000

Signing bonus: $20,000

Base salary: $870,000

Roster bonus: $60,000

Salary cap charge: $665,000

This is a minimum-salary benefit contract, which explains why Flynn's salary-cap charge is lower than his scheduled base salary. The total guarantee is $20,000, and it is unspecified what Flynn would have to do to earn the $60,000 roster bonus (e.g., being on the roster on opening day, paid on a per-game basis, etc.). One factor to keep in mind from a Patriots perspective is that if Flynn is on the roster for the opening game, his contract would normally become guaranteed, but because he has already collected termination pay he is not guaranteed the salary. The Patriots have kept just two quarterbacks on their initial Week 1 roster in five of the last six seasons, but if Tom Brady is suspended for the start of the season, Flynn is more likely to stick around. Thus, if the Patriots decided to keep Flynn through Brady's suspension and then cut him, they wouldn't owe him the full balance of his salary.