Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst have matching two-year, $8 million contracts.
Those deals implied competition for the starting quarterback job, but Pete Carroll indicated it won’t be a fair fight. Or a fight at all.
Carroll named Jackson his starting quarterback on Saturday, surprising because of the timing of the news.
Even though Jackson knows offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s scheme, Whitehurst was on the team last year. And Jackson can’t practice until the new CBA is done. (No later than August 4.)
Perhaps Carroll was sending a message. He was telling the Seahawks that Jackson is going to be their leader. He was letting Jackson puff his chest out a bit. Perhaps he was trying to motivate Whitehurst, who he said could compete once he gets up to speed with the offense.
No matter the intent, it’s sounds safe to say Caroll is expecting that Jackson-to-Sidney Rice combination to be in place for the season opener.