Former Vikings and Seahawks QB Tarvaris Jackson killed in car crash aged 36
Former NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has been killed in a car crash at the age of 36. The news was confirmed by Tennessee State, where he had worked as a quarterback coach during the 2019 season.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Jackson was killed in a single vehicle accident on Sunday night near his hometown of Montgomery after his car left the road, hit a tree and overturned. He was taken to a local hospital but was later pronounced dead. He was married with three children.
Jackson was seen as a player with huge potential coming out of college and the Minnesota Vikings traded up to take him in the second round of the 2006 draft. Although he was never able to establish himself as the Vikings’ regular starter, he did help lead them to the playoffs in 2008, where they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. He joined the Seattle Seahawks in 2011 and was their starter in his first season before acting as back-up to Russell Wilson, and was part of the team than beat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. His last season in the NFL was in 2015.
Wilson expressed his condolences on Twitter on Monday. “TJack... you will be missed. Praying for your family...Love you man,” he wrote. Chad Greenway, who was drafted alongside Jackson for the Vikings in 2006, also paid tribute. “RIP Tavaris Jackson. TJack was one of the best teammates and friends. Drafted together in 06’ and he will be missed,” he wrote on Twitter.
Jackson’s final year in Minnesota saw him play a back-up role to Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. On Monday, Favre said Jackson helped him settle in with the Vikings after he arrived from the New York Jets.
“My time with the Vikings was very special because the team embraced and welcomed me as one of their own. Tarvaris could have been anything but welcoming, but he was pure class and as good a teammate as any I’ve played with,” Favre said in a statement. “I’m proud to call him friend!! Such sad news.”