Seattle Seahawks Send Hasselbeck Packing

Added on Jul 26, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NFL

The Matt Hasselbeck era has come to an end in the Jet City. Acting quickly after the resolution of the NFL’s labor impasse the Seattle Seahawks have decided to not renew the contract of the 36 year old quarterback. Instead, Seattle has signed former Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback Tarvaris Jackson who’ll compete for the starting job with former Clemson University standout Charlie Whitehurst.

Seattle may not be done tinkering with their quarterback situation and it could be a ‘three way’ competitive dance. Sources report that the team is interested in former Arizona Cardinals’ signal caller Matt Leinart who’d also be given the opportunity to compete for the starting job. Leinart, of course, is well known to Seattle head coach Pete Carroll from when they were player and coach at USC.

Charlie Whitehurst could have the inside track at the starting job despite the potential pickup of Leinart and his relationship with the head coach. Whitehurst was one of the first players to report on Tuesday morning and says he’s looking forward to competing for the starting job this season:

“You’re more experienced; it goes for all of us. There were a bunch of new guys this past season,” Whitehurst said. “I think everybody is probably feeling pretty confident about this season. It’s as good an opportunity as I’m going to get and I’m looking forward to it.”

The Seahawks reportedly offered Hasselbeck a one year, $7 million contract prior to the start of the lockout. At the time, the quarterback rejected it seeking a longer term commitment. It isn’t known whether that offer was still ‘on the table’ prior to Tuesday’s announcement. Hasselbeck was inconsistent and injury prone during his tenure with the Seahawks though he could have some value as a backup–assuming he’d be willing to accept the role.

Most NFL experts think that none of the Seahawks’ potential 2011 starters are the long term answer at quarterback. Jackson may be a better fit as a backup and assuming the team does give Matt Leinart a shot the jury is still out on his viability as an starting quarterback in the NFL. Whitehurst could be the exception to this generalization–a breakout season could give him the opportunity to be ‘the man’ in Seattle for the next few years.