Tarvaris Jackson killed in car crash

Roughly one week shy of his 37th birthday, former NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was killed in a car crash in Alabama on Sunday night. Jackson played with the Minnesota Vikings from 2006 to 2010, then was named as the starter for the Seattle Seahawks in 2011, had a one year stint with the Buffalo Bills in 2012, then returned to Seattle for three more seasons.

Jackson was most recently the quarterbacks coach at Tennessee State.

A second round pick out of Alabama State in 2006, Jackson made his NFL debut in Week 12 of that year against the Chicago Bears. Three weeks later he made his first start against the Green Bay Packers, a 9-7 loss in Lambeau, before ending the season with a 41-21 loss to the St. Louis Rams. Jackson returned as starter in 2007, leading the Vikings to an 8-4 record over his 12 games with nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

After three more seasons as mostly a backup, Jackson signed with the Seahawks in 2011 to join his Minnesota offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and to get a second chance as a starter. The team went 7-7 in his starts that season, his lone year of prominence in the NFC West, giving him a career 17-17 record as a starter.

According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency via ESPN, Jackson was involved in a single-vehicle crash at 8:50 p.m. Sunday when the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro he was driving left the roadway, struck a tree and then overturned. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at a local hospital.

Jackson is survived by his wife, Lakitta, and three children, Tarvaris, Takayla and Tyson.