Former Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson Dies in Car Accident at Age 36

Tragic news from Alabama about a former Vikings player.

Former Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has died in a car accident in Alabama, according to Ian Rapaport of NFL Network. Jackson was 36 years old and working as the quarterbacks coach at Tennessee State.

It was a single-car accident near Jackson's hometown of Montgomery, AL, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin.

Tarvaris Jackson was back near his native Montgomery, AL on Sunday when he was involved in a single-vehicle crash at 8:50 p.m. Per the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Jackson was killed when the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro he was driving left the roadway, struck a tree then overturned.

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) April 13, 2020

Jackson was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

After a five-year college career at Arkansas and Alabama State, the Vikings drafted Jackson in the second round of the 2006 draft. He started two games as a rookie. Jackson started 12 games for the Vikings in 2007, going 8-4 while handing off frequently to rookie running back Adrian Peterson.

Jackson's best performance with the Vikings came in 2008, when he threw nine touchdowns and just two interceptions in nine games (five starts). In a blowout win over the Cardinals in December, "T-Jack" threw a career-high four touchdown passes on just 11 completions, with zero picks. He went on to start a playoff game that year, but the Vikings fell to the Eagles in the wild card round matchup.

Jackson spent the next two seasons mostly as a backup for Brett Favre, but in 2010, Jackson made one more start for the Vikings. It was the 20th of his career with Minnesota. Over his five-year Vikings career, Jackson threw 24 touchdown passes and ran for four touchdowns.

After the 2010 season, Jackson became a free agent. He signed a two-year deal with the Seahawks and became their starting quarterback for the 2011 season. Jackson started 14 games that year, posting career highs in passing yards (3,091) and touchdowns (14). Following the 2011 campaign, the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson and traded Jackson to the Bills. Jackson made no appearances with the Bills, and re-joined the Seahawks in 2013 for three more years as Wilson's backup.

In 2018, Jackson began his coaching career with a graduate assistant role at his alma mater, Alabama State. He was named Tennessee State's QB coach for the 2019 season.