The Seattle Seahawks have a serious problem entering the shortened 2011 NFL free agency period. To put it nicely, the Seahawks quarterback situation is in disarray, with Charlie Whitehurst the only viable option currently on the roster and Matt Hasselbeck, the long-time incumbent, set to enter the free agent market. For months, analysts have picked apart and hypothesized what moves Seattle may make to shore-up the quarterback spot, and with the free agency period set to begin on Tuesday, we're about to have some finality to it all.
At this point, Hasselbeck's status is up in the air, to say the least. There's still a chance he could be back in Seattle, or he may end up as a mentor to Jake Locker in Tennessee. It's even possible he signs with the Arizona Cardinals.
Hasselbeck could still be a veteran leader for a team in search of one. So rumors linking Hasselbeck to the Tennessee Titans make sense: Hasselbeck could give Tennessee a reliable baseline the Titans didn't have during the tumultuous Vince Young era.
Other teams with holes at quarterback that might consider Hasselbeck include the Seahawks' NFC West rivals, the Arizona Cardinals, and ... his own Seattle Seahawks, if Pete Carroll's regime decides bringing back Hasselbeck to compete with Whitehurst is worth doing.
At one point, Kevin Kolb was thought to be an option, though that sentiment has faded significantly as the season neared. As Seattle Times Seahawks reporter Danny O'Neil noted on Twitter, Kolb is going to cost a team a lot, and the price may have been too high for the Seattle front office.
I've heard nothing from the #Seahawks to discourage growing feel that price for acquiring Kevin Kolb was deemed to steep by Seattle.
And then there's Tarvaris Jackson, a name floated by ESPN's John Clayton last week. Jackson knows the system of new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, cutting down on the learning curve necessary to grasp the offense. He's mobile -- a direction the Seahawks appear to be heading when looking for a quarterback -- but has never produced at a consistent level.
For the Seahawks, the next four days are key, especially when it comes to finding a quarterback. With a variety of options on the table, it's almost impossible to predict which direction head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider may go, making it both an exciting and scary time.
For the latest on free agency, including players to watch and Seahawks transactions, stay with this StoryStream. For full coverage of the Seahawks free agency moves, head over to Field Gulls.