But there was the deal the Raiders gave veteran quarterback Matt Flynn.

Oakland paid Flynn more than $6.5 million this season and released him after one losing start. So this season, Flynn will make nearly $2 million more than Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson -- combined!

This season, those five quarterbacks from the Class of 2012 -- Luck, Griffin, Tannehill, Weeden and Wilson -- will earn a combined $4.55 million in base salary, not nearly what the Raiders paid Flynn.

It demonstrates another loophole in the CBA that went overboard to punish rookies. Not only will Flynn make almost $2 million more this season than those sophomore quarterbacks combined, but he now has the chance to double dip and keep whatever salary another team that signs him is willing to offer.

These have been salad salary days for Flynn, who over the course of the past season and a quarter has made $14.5 million from Seattle and Oakland for making one start for the Raiders.

In Seattle, Wilson beat out Flynn. In Oakland, Terrelle Pryor beat out Flynn. But Flynn truly scored big.

Flynn did what he was supposed to do. He beat the system. But the system is beating some of those younger quarterbacks for now, until they get a chance to redo their deals to cash in the way Flynn has the past two seasons.

• Spending for success: NFL owners will not be happy to hear this, but players will.

This season, for the first time in a long time, there is a direct correlation between winning and spending.

The top five free-agent spending teams from this past offseason -- Indianapolis, Miami, Tennessee, New England and Kansas City -- all are winning this season.

Last offseason, the Colts spent $65 million, the Dolphins spent $55.2 million, the Titans spent $45.2 million, the Patriots spent $43.2 million and the Chiefs spent $41.1 million -- and in exchange, those teams now have a combined 19-6 record.