Buffalo Bills Set To Acquire Tarvaris Jackson, Per Reports

Multiple reports (we'll link the one from NFL.com's Ian Rapoport) indicate that the Buffalo Bills are prepared to send an undisclosed draft pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for veteran quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. The deal hinges on the Bills and Jackson's representatives being able to work out a new contract for the seventh-year pro.

If the trade goes through, this would obviously be bad news not just for Tyler Thigpen - who was already a longshot to make the team - but for Vince Young, the long-assumed backup quarterback who was simply horrendous in last night's pre-season loss to Pittsburgh.

The trade won't be official, however, until (and apparently unless) the Bills can get Jackson to agree to a deal that will significantly reduce his $4 million salary. Clearly, that's much too high a price tag for a backup quarterback - but Jackson will likely agree to some sort of reduction given that he's on the verge of being cut by Seattle. He'd fallen behind rookie Russell Wilson and free agent signee Matt Flynn on the depth chart for Pete Carroll.

Jackson, 29, was a second-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2006 NFL Draft. In his six-plus years in the league, Jackson has appeared in 51 games, starting 34 of them, completing 59.4 percent of his passes for 7,075 yards (6.7 yards per attempt) with 38 touchdowns, 35 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 77.7. He is 17-17 as a starter.

Young, the former No. 3 overall pick in that same draft class, has seemingly fallen out of favor after looking like a strong bet to be the backup quarterback just a few days ago. After a strong outing in last week's pre-season loss to Minnesota, Young seemed like a shoo-in for the job, but a weak outing against Pittsburgh - including an interception most frequently seen from JV quarterbacks - seems to have left a poor taste in the collective mouths of the coaching staff.

Again, this thing won't be finalized until Jackson agrees to a new deal - but from the sounds of these reports, that's a mere formality. That means that in all likelihood, the Bills will be entering their Week 1 game against the New York Jets with a backup quarterback that's been in the offense all of two weeks. Stay healthy, Ryan Fitzpatrick.