Following the 2011 season, the Philadelphia Eagles decided to throw a pile of cash at DeSean Jackson in the form of a five-year, $47 million contract. That investment hasn’t come and gone without any return. Although Jackson struggled in the first year of his big deal, 2013 proved to be his finest in the NFL, setting his personal career mark with 1,332 yards and tying another mark with nine touchdown receptions.
Receiving isn’t Jackson’s only talent though. His ability to bust big punt returns is well known. Who, after all, could forget Jackson capping off a huge comeback by the Eagles by returning a Giants’ punt for a touchdown as the clock expired in 2010?
Why then, are the Eagles so ready to ship Jackson away?
First and foremost, Jackson’s $10.5 million salary is a big deal. Hindsight is always 20/20, but it was obvious in 2012 that the Eagles probably shelled out too much cash for their star receiver. Also obvious is the fact that Jackson wouldn’t want to re-negotiate after he was able to ink such a lucrative deal.
Still, in the NFL, you pay for production, and Jackson’s numbers in 2013 speak for themselves. The Eagles expected big things from Jackson when they locked him down for five years following the 2011 season. The 2012 campaign was a big disappointing, sure, but 2013 was a big rebound.
The Eagles appear to be in a big of a transitional period. While they were able to ultimately win the NFC East last season, they, like most of the rest of the teams occupying their division, aren’t showing much growth this offseason, at least to this point. The draft will give them the ability to add core players for the future, but we all know this is a win-now league, and without a growing pool of talent, the Eagles won’t be winning any more than they did a season ago.
The bottom line is the driving factor behind the argument to keep Jackson. With him on the field, the Eagles’ offense is more dangerous, especially vertically, and Jackson helps keep the secondary pushed deeper off the line of scrimmage. Without that threat, safeties will creep closer and closer, affecting every aspect of the Eagles offensive attack.
I understand that Jackson’s attitude is shoddy at best, but he’s an impact player that the rest of the NFC East will love to see out of the division. The Eagles probably won’t be getting anything for Jackson either, especially with reports coming out that the Eagles will cut him loose if they don’t find a trade partner.
Could Jets be in hunt for DeSean Jackson? Source tells me: "Philly is trading him or cutting him.That's a fact. They don't want him" #nyj
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaSports) March 22, 2014
Without Jackson, the Eagles will still run an exciting offense, and they’ll still be the favorite to win the weak NFC East. With Jackson, the Eagles would win the division, but they’d be a legitimate threat in the playoffs, especially if Nick Foles can pick up where he left off last year. There may come a time to cut Jackson, but doing it now only shortchanges the Eagles moving forward.
The better option would be to hang onto Jackson while developing younger receivers to replace him down the road. It seems, however, the Eagles have already made the decision to move on from Jackson, and that move could prove costly down the road.
