Sorry Philadelphians, this nightmare will not stop. The Desean Jackson saga continues to unfold in the city under the shadow of Lincoln Financial Field, and fans of last year’s beasts of the NFC East grow ever weary of the seemingly endless barrage of rumors.
After being released by the Eagles who cited attitude and work ethic for their dumping of their wide receiver one, reports circulated some via NJ.com that Jackson had ties and or gang affiliations. Is this a proverbial “hot take” with shades of the Aaron Hernandez saga from last offseason? Or do these rumors and Instagram pictures have resonance within the league?
Certainly not in Washington. The Redskins lead the pack of teams reportedly interested in the former Eagle, a list which also incudes the Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers Carolina Panthers and one “mystery team”. As this is not a game of clue, I won’t speculate whether it was Dan Snyder in the board room with a lack of information so for now Jackson’s future is undecided.
The former face of Philadelphia left Washington on Tuesday without a contract, but posed for pictures with numerous members of the Redskins including cornerback DeAngelo Hall who must be elated that Jackson won’t be lining up across from him twice a year.
The bottom line here is a complex one. The Eagles cut Jackson for a reason. Teams will be hesitant to dole out big money to a player with a shaded past, a past that has yet to be publicly defined. While the receiver has many years of football left, his off the field antics and attitude in the locker room have stalled much of the interest on the market. No team will sign Jackson in a deal in which they do not have complete leverage; including but not limited to small guaranteed money or length of contract.
Jackson himself is just as complex as the situation. His rough around the edges attitude is just as storied as his on the field jaw-drop ability. While little is know of the possibility of gang related activity from the wideout or those around him, one thing is clear. Jackson did something that encouraged an NFL franchise to cut him with no benefit to itself. Thus, not only will the receiver not make top dollar on the market, any deal reached with Jackson must benefit the organization more so than the receiver: something Jackson has never before been a part of.