Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll confirmed rumors about a trade involving quarterback Tavaris Jackson, and the Buffalo Bills. While the exact details of the trade were not revealed, Carroll told reporters the deal was agreed upon, but there was still some paperwork to finalize.
Among the “little bit” of work left to be finished is the restructuring of Jackson’s contract, something the Associated Press is reporting Jackson’s agent is working with the Bills to finish up as quickly as possible. Coach Carroll suggested the deal may be finished tonight.
The trade appears to benefit the Bills and Jackson, but where does it leave Vince Young?
After playing one year as Michael Vick‘s back up as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Young signed with Buffalo in hopes of doing the same for Ryan Fitzpatrick. It seemed as if Young was in the process of winning the back up position from Tyler Thigpen, but after a poor showing against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, this trade could mean the end of his time as a Bill.
Young’s career has been in a downward spiral since his first couple of seasons in the NFL. Drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the 2006 NFL Draft, Young threw 12 touch downs on his way to 8-5 as a starter, and the Titans ended the season at .500. It was enough to earn him the Offensive Rookie of the Year, and it seemed as if he was off to a promising career.
Young followed up his rookie performance by going 10-6 the next year, making the playoffs, but losing in the Wild Card round to the San Diego Chargers. From here, Young’s career began to fluctuate between extreme highs and lows, eventually leading to his release by the Titans after the 2010 season.
Including his short stint in Philly, Young has an impressive record of 31 wins and 19 losses, having thrown for nearly 9,000 yards, 46 touchdowns, and 51 interceptions in his 6 year career. Fantastic numbers, especially in the win loss column, but for some reason, Young has been unable to handle the pressures of the position, benched by the Titans coaching staff on several occasions, with NFL rumors of his mental stability and a supposed attempted suicide leaking out.
The Bills may be a last chance situation for Young, but with the trade for Jackson, the odds of Young making the roster become very remote. While his career numbers are slightly lower than Young’s, Jackson has shown himself to be a serviceable NFL quarterback, throwing for over 3,000 yards last season as a Seahawk.
Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey has already made it clear the team would only have room for one back up to Fitzpatrick, with the third slot already spoken for by Brad Smith, who will be featured in wildcat type situations. Jackson has only had a few minutes of garbage time on the field so far this preseason and Young has the head start in Buffalo’s system, but realize the Bills will not be giving up a (projected) mid round pick to the Seahawks for no reason, which leaves things looking awfully bleak for Vince Young.
Jeff Everette is a featured columnist for www.RantSports.com, covering the NFL and NBA. You can follow him on twitter @jeverettesports, or subscribe to Jeff Everette-www.RantSports.com on both Facebook and Google+ for all of his latest articles, opinions, and rants.
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