Tarvaris Jackson willing to cut salary for trade

The Seattle Seahawks are looking to deal quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, who was never a serious starting candidate to begin with. It seemed like that would be the case, but the Seahawks 2011 starter isn’t a part of the team’s future and is on the trade block.

Seattle would ideally like to receive a fifth-round pick, but that is probably too much for a below-average starting quarterback. In order to help facilitate a trade, Jackson is willing to “alter” his “$4 million salary, which is a good thing for all parties. It makes him more attractive to a potential buyer, and it helps the Seahawks find a better deal for him. I doubt he’s willing to deviate significantly from that salary, but every little bit helps.

The Green Bay Packers could potentially be interested in adding Tarvaris Jackson, because Graham Harrell has looked disappointing and isn’t an ideal second-string quarterback. Ted Thompson dealt Matt Flynn, who will most likely start for Seattle, to former assistant John Schneider (Seattle’s GM) this offseason, and Harrell hasn’t instilled much confidence. Jackson would help provide some veteran relief at the position for Green Bay, and he is a quality backup quarterback.

The Arizona Cardinals could also be interested, but the Seahawks might not want to deal Jackson to a division rival. Beyond that, I’m not sure that the Cardinals would even want him. He struggles under pressure, which isn’t different from the struggles that Kevin Kolb has. Kolb also has better physical tools as a QB, so Jackson might not even be better than the combination of Kolb and John Skelton. The Cardinals would also have to trade a pick, so it’s an unlikely scenario. It could happen, but it probably won’t.

It’s hard not to feel bad for Jackson, because he is going to be traded by an organization that called out the last team he was on for treating him poorly. The fact that he is willing to cut his $4 million salary in order to help get a trade done is a nice gesture, although it actually helps him because getting cut would probably cost him more money. In any case, he’s willing to help the Seahawks get something in return for his services, and hopefully he finds himself in a situation where he can find stability and help a team out.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.