Barring disaster with Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks Matt Flynn or Russell Wilson, it appears as though incumbent starter Tarvaris Jackson is on his way out of town.
Jason LaCanfora initially tweeted the possibility on Aug. 14, and ProFootballTalk.com followed it up with a discussion with "a source with knowledge of the situation" on Aug. 15: Jackson is not long for a Seahawks uniform.
This doesn't come as any surprise, and if Seattle finds a way to get around his $4 million base salary that's owed to him this year. That, and the fact that Jackson hasn't had a career as a starter that would get anyone but the most desperate excited.
I can't say that I'm sad to see Jackson's career in Seattle end. I was never excited about his arrival. As much as I tried, I couldn't buy into head coach Pete Carroll's hype about him. I just don't think he's an NFL-quality starting quarterback.
Jackson didn't have success with the Minnesota Vikings, and in his one year in Seattle, the Seahawks went 7-9 and finished with one of the worst pass offenses in the league. Jackson had a couple flashes of brilliance, but otherwise seemed to be the starter only because Charlie Whitehurst was even worse.
This turn of events comes as no surprise. The Seahawks spent a boatload of money on unproven Matt Flynn in free agency and then selected Russell Wilson in the third round of the NFL Draft this year. Carroll's line of this being a three-way quarterback battle was a farce. It didn't take insider status at Seahawks training camp to figure out which way this "competition" was going to end.
According to PFT's source, Jackson "was never a serious contender to start in 2012." He didn't even play in the preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans. Flynn is starting the second preseason game against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Anyone who has a legitimate shot at the starting position in the regular season is going to see some time on the field in the preseason. For Jackson to be absent for an entire game spoke volumes. The Seahawks have no plans for him, and they want to keep him as healthy as they can for possible suitors.
LaCanfora suggests the Arizona Cardinals as a potential trade partner, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Jackson simply outright released.
And I won't shed a single tear to see both Jackson and Whitehurst out of Seattle.
The author grew up in Washington State and is a lifelong fan of the Seahawks. He's also a Featured Contributor in Sports with the Yahoo! Contributor Network. You can follow him on Twitter at @RedZoneWriting and on Facebook.
