Seahawks Reportedly Trade QB Jackson To Bills

According to ESPN.com and NFL.com, the Seahawks have agreed to trade QB Tarvaris Jackson, last year’s starting quarterback, to the Buffalo Bills for an undisclosed draft choice. The Seahawks have not confirmed nor denied the trade, but NFL.com reported that the Bills are trying to finalize a new contract for Jackson.

Jackson started 14 games for the Seahawks in 2011 and managed the offense effectively, but not spectacularly. His move to Seattle’s discard pile began when the club signed Green Bay free agent Matt Flynn during the off-season to a $26 million contract. Jackson was scheduled to receive $4 million in the second and final year of his Seahawks deal.

Jackson became further irrelevant to Seattle’s quarterback plans when the club used its third-round draft pick on Russell Wilson of Wisconsin.

Flynn started the first halves of Seattle’s first two preseason games with Wilson working the second halves. Jackson did not play in either game, coach Pete Carroll saying, “We know what he can do.”

Left unsaid by Carroll is that he also knows what Jackson cannot do, namely finish off drives.

Jackson saw brief, mop-up duty against Kansas City Friday (completed 3 of 5 passes for 1 yard) with Wilson receiving the majority of snaps while Flynn watched, injured, from the sidelines.

After the Seahawks selected Wilson, Carroll declared an open competition for the quarterback position, but Jackson never really factored into it. Flynn immediately became the presumed No. 1, but over the course of training camp and three preseason games, Wilson has emerged as the leading candidate to start Seattle’s season opener — if Carroll’s “open competition” is legitimate.

Saturday, Wilson threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns in Seattle’s 44-14 win over the Chiefs in his first starting assignment, prompting Carroll to say, “He’s done everything we’ve asked of him. The guy is all we hoped he would be.”

A second-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2006, Jackson signed with Seattle as a restricted free agent July 29, 2011. Nursing an injury most of the year, he completed 271 of 450 passes for 3,091 yards, a career-high 14 touchdowns, but a career-high 13 interceptions. He had a passer rating of 79.2.

In Buffalo, Ryan Fitzpatrick is the incumbent quarterback, but Vince Young has struggled in the preseason as the backup, completing 25 of 52 passes for 276 yards, no TDs and two interceptions.