# Tarvaris Jackson
**Tarvaris Jackson** (1983 – April 12, 2020) was an American professional football quarterback who played 10 seasons in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) for the [Minnesota Vikings](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-vikings), Seattle Seahawks, and [Buffalo Bills](https://www.edgepedia.org/buffalo-bills), and was a member of the Seahawks team that won Super Bowl XLVIII.[1](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302) • [2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/04/13/nfl/1586790695_576040.html) Drafted in the second round out of Alabama State, he spent most of his career as a starter-in-transition in Minnesota and a backup in Seattle, and later coached quarterbacks at Tennessee State University.[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-nfl-qb-tarvaris-jackson-dies-in-car-crash-0ap3000001109122) He died at 36 in a single-car crash in Alabama.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/13/former-nfl-quarterback-tarvaris-jackson-reportedly-dies-car-crash/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1983; died the night of April 12, 2020, in a single-car crash south of Montgomery, Alabama, at age 36[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/13/former-nfl-quarterback-tarvaris-jackson-reportedly-dies-car-crash/) |
| Draft | Second round, 64th overall, 2006 NFL Draft, by the Minnesota Vikings, the fifth quarterback taken[5](https://bamastatesports.com/news/2006/4/29/042906aaa_589.aspx) |
| NFL career | 10 seasons: Vikings 2006–2010, Seahawks 2011, Bills 2012, Seahawks 2013–2015[1](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302) |
| Career passing | 640 of 1,073 (59.6%) for 7,263 yards, 39 touchdowns, 35 interceptions, 78.5 passer rating in 59 games[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/tarvaris-jackson/stats/career) |
| Starting record | 34 starts, 17–17; 10–10 with Minnesota and 7–7 as Seattle's 2011 starter[1](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302) • [2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/04/13/nfl/1586790695_576040.html) |
| Best season | 2011 with Seattle: 3,091 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, 13 interceptions in 15 games[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/tarvaris-jackson/stats/career) |
| Post-NFL coaching | Quality control and quarterbacks coach at Alabama State (2018); quarterbacks coach at Tennessee State (2019)[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-nfl-qb-tarvaris-jackson-dies-in-car-crash-0ap3000001109122) |
## College career
Jackson began his collegiate career at the [University of Arkansas](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-arkansas), where he backed up future first-round pick Matt Jones, before transferring to Alabama State, a Division I-AA (now FCS) and historically black university in Montgomery, where he was a three-year starter from 2003 to 2005.[1](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302) • [7](https://bamastatesports.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/tarvaris-jackson/718)
In three seasons with the Hornets he passed for 7,849 yards and 67 touchdowns while rushing for 982 yards and 11 scores, played 36 games, and compiled a 24–12 record. Alabama State reached two [Southwestern Athletic Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/southwestern-athletic-conference) championship games and won the SWAC title in 2004.[5](https://bamastatesports.com/news/2006/4/29/042906aaa_589.aspx)
## NFL career
**Minnesota Vikings, 2006–2010.** [The Vikings](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-vikings) traded with the [Pittsburgh Steelers](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-steelers) to move up and select Jackson with the final pick of the second round, 64th overall; he was the highest-drafted quarterback in Alabama State history and the school's first player drafted since 1995.[5](https://bamastatesports.com/news/2006/4/29/042906aaa_589.aspx) • [1](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302) He appeared in 36 games for Minnesota and made 20 starts, primarily as a backup, throwing 24 touchdown passes against 22 interceptions with a 76.6 passer rating.[8](https://www.vikings.com/news/tarvaris-jackson-vikings-mourning-loss-of-former-quarterback) • [1](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302) He started in 2007 and 2008 before backing up [Brett Favre](https://www.edgepedia.org/brett-favre) in his final two seasons with the team.[1](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302) While splitting time with Gus Frerotte in 2008, he helped the Vikings win the NFC North title.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/13/former-nfl-quarterback-tarvaris-jackson-reportedly-dies-car-crash/) His best Minnesota season by passer rating came in 2008, when he threw for 1,056 yards and 9 touchdowns against 2 interceptions in 9 games.[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/tarvaris-jackson/stats/career)
**Seattle and Buffalo, 2011–2015.** Jackson signed as a free agent with Seattle in 2011, where coach [Pete Carroll](https://www.edgepedia.org/pete-carroll) named him the opening-day starter in place of the departed [Matt Hasselbeck](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-hasselbeck).[1](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302) In his most prolific season he started 14 games (appearing in 15) and threw for 3,091 yards with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, a 79.2 passer rating, leading Seattle to a 7–7 record in his starts.[6](https://www.nfl.com/players/tarvaris-jackson/stats/career) • [2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/04/13/nfl/1586790695_576040.html) • [3](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-nfl-qb-tarvaris-jackson-dies-in-car-crash-0ap3000001109122) He was traded to Buffalo in 2012 but did not appear in a regular-season game that year, then returned to Seattle for three final seasons (2013–2015) as [Russell Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/russell-wilson)'s backup.[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-nfl-qb-tarvaris-jackson-dies-in-car-crash-0ap3000001109122) • [1](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302)
**Super Bowl XLVIII.** Jackson earned a [Super Bowl ring](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-ring) with the Seahawks, who won the franchise's only [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) title, XLVIII against the [Denver Broncos](https://www.edgepedia.org/denver-broncos), at the end of the 2013 season.[2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/04/13/nfl/1586790695_576040.html) His incomplete pass in that game made him the only backup quarterback to throw a pass in the previous 19 Super Bowls, according to the Star Tribune.[1](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302) Across his two Seattle stints he appeared in 23 games with 14 starts, per the Seahawks' all-time roster.[9](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2021/SEA.pdf)
## Coaching career
Jackson retired after the 2015 season and returned to his alma mater, Alabama State, in 2018 as a quality control and quarterbacks coach.[2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/04/13/nfl/1586790695_576040.html) • [3](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-nfl-qb-tarvaris-jackson-dies-in-car-crash-0ap3000001109122) He moved to [Tennessee State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/tennessee-state-university) in 2019 as the Tigers' quarterbacks coach, the position he held at the time of his death.[3](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-nfl-qb-tarvaris-jackson-dies-in-car-crash-0ap3000001109122)
## Death
On the night of Sunday, April 12, 2020, Jackson was driving a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro on a road south of Montgomery, Alabama, when it left the roadway, struck a tree, and overturned; he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency reported the crash occurred at 8:50 p.m., about 7 miles south of his hometown of Montgomery, and an investigation was ongoing.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/13/former-nfl-quarterback-tarvaris-jackson-reportedly-dies-car-crash/) • [10](https://abcnews.com/Sports/vikings-seahawks-qb-tarvaris-jackson-dies-car-crash/story?id=70119567) He was 36.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/13/former-nfl-quarterback-tarvaris-jackson-reportedly-dies-car-crash/)
He was survived by his wife, Lakitta, and three children, Tarvaris, Takayla, and Tyson.[10](https://abcnews.com/Sports/vikings-seahawks-qb-tarvaris-jackson-dies-car-crash/story?id=70119567) The Seahawks called him "a beloved teammate, competitor, and Seahawk," and coach Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson were among those who posted tributes; the Vikings praised his positive outlook and his care for others.[11](https://www.seahawks.com/news/seahawks-mourn-the-loss-of-tarvaris-jackson) • [3](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-nfl-qb-tarvaris-jackson-dies-in-car-crash-0ap3000001109122) • [8](https://www.vikings.com/news/tarvaris-jackson-vikings-mourning-loss-of-former-quarterback)
## Legacy
Jackson appeared in 59 regular-season games over a 10-year career, starting 34 with an even 17–17 record, and his 2011 season remained his most extensive work as a full-time starter.[1](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302) • [6](https://www.nfl.com/players/tarvaris-jackson/stats/career) In Seattle he is remembered both for the 2011 bridge season between the Hasselbeck and Wilson eras and for his years as Wilson's backup on the Super Bowl championship team.[2](https://as.com/us/us/2020/04/13/nfl/1586790695_576040.html) His son, Tarvaris Jackson II, was honored by the Seahawks with a Make-A-Wish visit in November 2023.[12](https://www.seahawks.com/news/tarvaris-jackson-ii-s-make-a-wish-visit-with-seahawks-something-he-s-going-to-re)
## References
1. [About Tarvaris Jackson, The Minnesota Star Tribune](https://www.startribune.com/about-tarvaris-jackson/569615302)
2. [Tarvaris Jackson, exQB de Seattle, muere en un accidente de auto, AS.com](https://as.com/us/us/2020/04/13/nfl/1586790695_576040.html)
3. [Former NFL QB Tarvaris Jackson dies in car crash, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/former-nfl-qb-tarvaris-jackson-dies-in-car-crash-0ap3000001109122)
4. [Former NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson dies in car crash, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/13/former-nfl-quarterback-tarvaris-jackson-reportedly-dies-car-crash/)
5. [Tarvaris Jackson Selected by Minnesota Vikings in Second Round of NFL Draft, Alabama State University Athletics](https://bamastatesports.com/news/2006/4/29/042906aaa_589.aspx)
6. [Tarvaris Jackson Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/tarvaris-jackson/stats/career)
7. [Tarvaris Jackson – Football Coaches, Alabama State University Athletics](https://bamastatesports.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/tarvaris-jackson/718)
8. [Vikings Mourning Loss of Tarvaris Jackson, Vikings.com](https://www.vikings.com/news/tarvaris-jackson-vikings-mourning-loss-of-former-quarterback)
9. [2021 Seattle Seahawks Media Guide, All-Time Roster](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2021/SEA.pdf)
10. [Former Vikings, Seahawks QB Tarvaris Jackson dies in car crash, ABC News](https://abcnews.com/Sports/vikings-seahawks-qb-tarvaris-jackson-dies-car-crash/story?id=70119567)
11. [Seahawks Mourn The Loss Of Tarvaris Jackson, Seahawks.com](https://www.seahawks.com/news/seahawks-mourn-the-loss-of-tarvaris-jackson)
12. [Tarvaris Jackson II's Make-A-Wish Visit With Seahawks, Seahawks.com](https://www.seahawks.com/news/tarvaris-jackson-ii-s-make-a-wish-visit-with-seahawks-something-he-s-going-to-re)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Quarterbacks › 1990s and 2000s quarterbacks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license