Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson (10) returns a punt against the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings win 48-30. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
DeSean Jackson has fell out of favor with the Philadelphia Eagles organization, specifically Chip Kelly, and the fact that the team was able to re-sign both Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin helped make getting rid of Jackson a legitimate option. It now looks like Jackson will play for a new team in 2014 barring a shocking turn of events, and the Eagles are even prepared to release him. Jackson will make $10.5 million in base salary next season and is unwilling to restructure it in order to help get a deal done, so the Eagles could be forced to cut him outright. They don’t have much leverage due to Jackson’s unwillingness to take less money, because teams won’t want to pay over $10 million for somebody who fits the Eagles scheme perfectly and yet that team wants to get rid of his talent badly; it’s an enormous red flag.
The New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Carolina Panthers are three teams that have been linked to Jackson, and you can add the two elite teams in the NFC West to that list. CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora reports that both the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are showing interest in Jackson, but it looks like they would only be able to get him if D-Jax gets cut. I think it’s more likely that Jackson will be cut, unless if a team really wants to land the high-impact playmaker. It’s possible, and a team that isn’t as good might be forced to trade for him and swallow the cap hit in order to ensure that he doesn’t land with a team like Seattle or San Francisco. But ultimately, I think he gets released, even if, as La Canfora reports, his price tag allows teams to trade a lower draft pick for him (the Eagles, after all, would prefer to at least get something out of the deal).
Although the Seahawks lost Golden Tate in free agency, I’m not sure a running team with decent enough wideouts needs to go in for Jackson. The 49ers are also a running team, but this contender makes more sense as a landing spot for Jackson. Michael Crabtree and Anquan Boldin are two very good wideouts, but the 49ers could use somebody with Jackson’s explosiveness and downfield speed. I don’t think either the Seahawks or 49ers land him, but it’s still interesting to see that they are showing interest.