NFC Notes: DJax, Eagles, Panthers, Rivera

Is Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson on his way back to the Eagles this offseason? Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham seems to think so.

“I’m just happy because I kinda knew already. I’ve talked to him. I talked to him when Doug (Pederson) got hired. He was like, ‘Tell Coach come get me,'” Graham said (via Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com). “We have fun during the season. He’s like, ‘B.G., I’ll be back.’ But now that it’s official, as far as the season about to be over, I think you’ll be hearing a lot of noise about DeSean. … I’m saying official as far as the end of season, now we’re gonna really see.”

Former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy also recently said that Jackson told him that he would be back with the Eagles next season. We’ve been hearing reports of strong mutual interest between the Eagles and DJax for some time now. All signs are pointing to a reunion, but Graham should probably stop speaking on the subject before the team is hit with penalties for tampering.

Here’s more out of the NFC:

• Will there be major changes to the Panthers‘ roster and coaching staff? Coach Ron Rivera seemed to hint at some turnover in 2017 when talking to reporters this week. “You have to evolve. Things are going to change after six seasons,” Rivera said, via Bill Voth of Black And Blue Review. “When this is all done, we’ll take a look back at some things and see what we’ve got to do as we go forward.” After Saturday’s loss to Atlanta, the Panthers are 6-9. They close out the season on Jan. 1 against the Bucs.
• Panthers defensive end Mario Addison has been labeled a one-trick pony in the past, but he has shown his full arsenal this season and is due for a big payday, David Newton of ESPN.com writes. Once looked at as strictly an edge rusher on passing downs, Addison had two tackles for loss against Atlanta’s Devonta Freeman over the weekend. The only thing really holding him back on the open market will be his size as he stands at 6’3″ and 260 pounds. The speedy Addison has a team-high and career-high 8.5 sacks this season with seven of those coming in his last six games.
• Many of the Lions‘ mid-tier free agents will be cashing in on their incentive-laden deals, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin will make $1.45MM in playtime and performance incentives, maxing out his deal. Others cashing in include linebacker Tahir Whitehead, safeties Tavon Wilson and Rafael Bush, cornerback Johnson Bademosi, and defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker.