The reunion was short-lived. Jackson's departure will surely be construed by some as indictment of his ability. The writing has been on the wall though and today, in perhaps the most predictable move of an otherwise unpredictable off-season, Seattle has traded former 28th overall pick Lawrence Jackson to the Detroit Lions. The compensation is undisclosed.
Jackson's exit from the Seahawks began the day new head coach Pete Carroll retained defensive line coach Dan Quinn. Quinn has a 3-4 background and clearly favors oversized, Haloti Ngata-style ends on the strong side. The trade of Darryl Tapp for Chris Clemons (and a fifth round pick) cemented that Seattle would not run a traditional 4-3. Jackson then lost any chance to regain the starting strong side end position when the Seahawks named Red Bryant the starter. Jackson, a traditional end, and Bryant, 330-pound former defensive tackle, were incompatible rotation mates.
Seattle is taking a loss. Any time a team trades a 24-year old, third year player without major character concerns and with a modicum of production, it is likely to give up more than it has given. Detroit is the winner. Seattle is finishing up the process of managing its losses.