This move makes sense for the ‘Hawks because of the quarterback schism that the team is currently facing. Seattle signed free agent Matt Flynn in the offseason, drafted Russell Wilson from Wisconsin in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft and have spent a considerable amount of resources developing Josh Portis.

Jan. 1, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback (7) Tarvaris Jackson throws a pass against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

What it comes down to is that Jackson is the odd man out at this point.

However, as ESPN’s Mike Sando points out, it may be hard for the Seahawks to trade Jackson because he is scheduled to earn $4 million in salary in 2012 and there are very few teams out there willing to pay a backup that kind of cash.

For Jackson’s sake, he needs to hope a starting quarterback gets injured during the preseason so the Seahawks can trade him to a team in dire need of a starting-caliber quarterback (which sounds kind of funny when you say it out loud. Tarvaris Jackson, starting QB). Of course, this trade would mean that whoever is backing up the injured QB needs to be so inept that said team would rather bring a guy like Jackson in late than use whoever has been taking second-team reps all offseason and in training camp.

Potential suitors for Jackson include Cleveland, Miami, Arizona and the New York Jets, to name a few. Think about it. The Browns have Jackson’s former head coach Brad Childress as their offensive coordinator so that fit makes sense—although, there may be too many cooks in the Brown’s kitchen already. Miami just lost David Garrard for three to four weeks and his return could be in question depending on how well his knee heals. Would you trade your former starting QB in division to Arizona? I think you might if the Cardinals ultimately cut underperforming Kevin Kolb. The Jets, however, could be an interesting fit because Marc Sanchez is a proven stinker when it matters and backup Tim Tebow, well, you already know his story.

Where do you think Tarvaris Jackson best fits should the Seahawks make a trade?

Jan 1, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn (10) warms up prior to the game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

I don’t know if everyone is getting as tired of the Peyton Manning saga as I am, but it looks like he will have his decision made in the coming days. One of the finalists on his list is the San Francisco 49ers, who pretty much appeared out of nowhere in the last few days to get in the running. And while the Niners were sneaking their way onto the Manning list, another NFC West team struck on the quarterback front as well. The Seattle Seahawks signed Matt Flynn to a three-year deal that’s worth up to $26 million. And, after missing out on Flynn and Manning, the Miami Dolphins apparently are in talks with Alex Smith, who could need a team if Manning signs in San Fran. Confused yet? This version of “quarterback musical chairs” could just be getting started.

I’m not sure where I stand on the Flynn signing in Seattle just yet. As with most free agent signings that carry risk, if Flynn signed somewhere in the AFC I would say that he’s probably not going to be very good and the team made a mistake. However, I tend to get a little more nervous when a guy like this signs in our division. Is there a chance he could be a very good starter and be their QB for the next 8-10 years? I guess so. I don’t think anyone outside of Green Bay knows that much about him. Do I think it’s more likely that he’s the next Kevin Kolb? Absolutely. Still, the Seahawks having anyone under center other than Tarvaris Jackson is bad news for the Rams, but I guess we will just have to see.

As far as Manning and the Niners goes, I’m really sweating this one out bad. San Fran was one play away from going to the Super Bowl last season, and that was with Smith as their QB. Imagine if they added Manning. Manning at like 70% is light-years better than Smith, and his knowledge and leadership alone would probably be enough to get them a few more Super Bowl trophies. I think what Rams fans need to hope for is that Manning picks somewhere else like Denver, Smith goes to Miami and the Niners end up with Colin Kaepernick as their starter. I know that’s probably a long-shot, but until Manning is out of our division for certain it might just get me through the day.

Mar 7, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (left) speaks during a press conference as owner Jim Irsay looks on during a press conference to announce Manning

It’s nice to be writing about something other than Gregg Williams and bounties, and although I wanted to get back to the Combine Reports tonight, I decided against it. I will be out of town over the weekend covering the Illinois High School Class 1A and 2A state boys basketball tournaments, so instead of posting one tonight and taking a break, I thought it better to wait until next week to get back to it. Lucky for me, something pretty significant happened in the NFL world on Wednesday, so let’s talk about that. Although we have known officially for days and unofficially for months, the Indianapolis Colts released QB Peyton Manning. I thought having a press conference with both sides speaking about it was a little weird, but I guess they all handled it pretty well.

The Rams won’t be in the Manning sweepstakes, but this move still greatly affects the upcoming season for St. Louis. Bernie Miklasz talked about this over at STLtoday.com, which kind of sucks for me because I had already started writing this before I saw it, but I’m going to continue anyway because it’s a pretty big deal. Bernie talks a lot about how it will affect the draft, which is a very valid point. Washington and Miami are both major players for Manning, and they are both trade targets for the Rams as well. However, I’m still holding out hope that the Rams deal with Cleveland and their two first-round picks, so I’m not going to discuss that aspect right now.

What really has me concerned is that Manning could end up in the NFC West next season. The Seahawks and Cardinals have both contacted Manning’s reps already according to sources, so they will both be in on him when the bidding starts. For as much as I question how good Manning will be when he comes back to the field, it scares the heck out of me that he could face the Rams twice a season. He’s never going to be what he once was, but would he be an upgrade over Tarvaris Jackson or Kevin Kolb? I’m not even going to type the answer, because it’s a no-brainer. The one thing that makes our division so winnable is because there isn’t a franchise quarterback on any of the teams we compete with. Before anyone brings up Alex Smith, one good season does not a franchise QB make. I still think Sam Bradford can be a franchise guy, so that could be our edge going forward. But adding Manning to any other team completely changes the dynamic of the West.

I don’t know if the Rams have a chance to win the division this season, and I know the 49ers are very good, but I would think that if anyone gets Manning and he’s even close to healthy, that team instantly becomes the favorite. We have an uphill battle to fight anyway, so let’s hope Manning stays east so the climb is just difficult and not impossible.