The best possible explanation I can come up with at this point is that the team needed, in Grier's and Flores' eyes, some anchor vets to provide some stability as they fully implemented:
- so much youth on the OL
- Flores' defensive scheme

That was my take when KVN was let go - he served a 1-yr purpose of being a "Flores' system" coach on the field, and his play didn't merit the $$$.

Flowers I always viewed as an overpaid consolation prize when Thuney was tagged (and Scherff, but I would guess their pref was Thuney). When the trade was reported, it sounded pretty favorable to get that kind of money off the books for an ok-at-best player. With the report being that we ate $6M, it makes the whole signing look that much worse.

Optimistically, I'm viewing it as being part of what turned us from 5-11 to 10-6 while infusing a ton of talented youth while also being in a position to move on from players if it makes sense. On the pessimistic side, cap space is a continuum and Flowers will have received (best I can tell) $18M of the $30M for playing 1 yr for us. C'est la vie...it's not my money.