DeSean Jackson - Pro Football Rumors

Redskins Ambivalent On DJax’s Future

November 11th, 2016 at 6:55pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Redskins are “50-50” on whether they’ll try to re-sign DeSean Jackson after the season, according to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, who adds that the wide receiver’s injury issues could push him out of Washington in free agency. Jackson suited up for each of the Redskins’ first eight games this year, but he’ll miss a key NFC showdown against the Vikings on Sunday because of a left shoulder issue.

Jackson, 29, hasn’t played a 16-game campaign since 2013 – his sixth and final season in Philadelphia – and will sit out his eighth contest as a Redskin in Week 10. The majority of those missed games (six) came last year for Jackson, who has already matched his 2015 reception total (30).

With 56 targets, Jackson is one of four weapons quarterback Kirk Cousins has significantly relied on this season, joining Jordan Reed (58), Jamison Crowder (56) and Pierre Garcon (55), though Jackson’s current yards-per-catch average (13.9) is a career low and he only has one touchdown. Still, having put up 472 receptions, 17.4 YPC and 43 scores in nine seasons, Jackson should draw plenty of interest if he gets to the open market.

Like Jackson, who’s on a $3.75MM salary, Garcon is also unsigned beyond this season, leaving Crowder as the only highly targeted Redskins wideout under team control next year. A big 2016 from first-rounder Josh Doctson could’ve better prepared Washington to lose one or both of the Jackson-Garcon duo, but the rookie has endured an injury-stunted year and is on IR through at least Week 14.

NFC Notes: Lions, Staley, Redskins

November 6th, 2016 at 11:41am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some notes from the NFC as we head into the full slate of Week 9 action:

Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com says that Lions fans should not expect any shakeups in the club’s defensive coaching staff this year, even if the defense continues to struggle. Rothstein notes that Teryl Austin is a good coordinator and that the team has shown improvement in some areas–like its pass rush and in total yards allowed–and the fact that Austin’s unit has been ravaged by injury gives him a bit of a pass.
Speaking of injured Lions, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that Detroit could try to make DeAndre Levy restructure his contract at the end of the year. Levy is set to count $8.39MM against the cap, and the Lions would be on the hook for $7.2MM in dead money if they were to cut Levy.
We learned earlier today that the Raiders were going to prioritize a new contract for Derek Carr this offseason, and former NFL agent Joel Corry tweets that Matthew Stafford would be wise to wait and see what type of deal Carr gets before entering into extension talks with the Lions.
49ers tackle Joe Staley, now 32, has not given any thought to retirement, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Staley was the subject of trade rumors leading up to last week’s deadline, but he never thought he would be dealt and he continues to be singularly focused on returning the Lombardi Trophy to the Niners. He is under contract through 2019.
Josh Doctson‘s lost rookie season may change things, but John Keim of ESPN.com does not foresee the Redskins retaining more than one of DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Both players, in fact, may look to move on in 2017, and if that happens, Washington would be forced to look for wide receiver help on the open market and/or expend a high draft choice on a wideout.
We learned earlier today that the Packers would bring in free agent RB Joique Bell for a workout tomorrow.

NFC Notes: Redskins, Cowboys, Cardinals

August 6th, 2016 at 10:55am CST by Ben Levine

Kirk Cousins‘ top two targets will both be free agents following the 2016 season, and ESPN.com’s John Keim writes that the Redskins quarterback will vicariously play a role in the duo’s future contracts.

Veteran wideouts Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson are both set to hit free agency following the season, and Cousins is focused on earning the pair as much money as possible.

“I said to guys in college that I would take great pride in them having NFL careers,” Cousins said, “and it’s a point of emphasis that I would get them the ball, help them play well enough as a college player and it would give them an opportunity to be noticed and play in the NFL. The same would be true now. I want to see them have great success in this league and have long careers and certainly as a quarterback, you have a role in that.”

For what it’s worth, both Garcon and Jackson are simply focused on their on-field production, as both veterans understand that that’s all they can control at this point.

“We can just give great effort and however they want to use us is how they use us,” Garcon said. “Kirk has to throw touchdowns and get passing yards and we have to get receiving yards. We can’t control the outcome of the contract, but we can control what goes on with us between the lines.”

“I’m just really keeping it real right here, keeping it real simple,” Jackson added. “I don’t want to put no extra pressure on anybody, on myself, on the team, nobody. I’m just here to work and be rewarded for whatever it is. Whatever that turns out to be at the end of the year, so be it.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the NFC…

Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr took a significant pay cut for 2016, with his salary dropping from $9.1MM to $4.25MM. However, the veteran understands that on-field production will lead to a future payday. “Get the ball, get this money,” Carr told Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram. “Keep it simple. Get the ball, make some plays and you’ll see what happens when it’s all said and done.”
Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson has taken a personal leave to deal with “personal matters,” reports Hill. There’s no timeline for when the coach will return to the team. “I don’t know. I don’t want to speculate on that,” said vice president Stephen Jones. “Wade has got to take care of himself. I know no one wants to be out here more than him.”
Cardinals general manager Steve Keim had no issues extending 36-year-old Carson Palmer. In fact, the executive doesn’t want to imagine life without the talented quarterback. “That’s all I think about,” Keim said (via ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano). “That’s what keeps you up at night. I mean, if you think about it, what GM or coach doesn’t have their career attached to that position?…I was fortunate enough to get this job, and one of the first moves I made was to trade for Carson. And the rest is history. Three years, 10, 11 and 13 wins. And there’s no doubt he’s obviously the biggest impact.”
With Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, and Tyrann Mathieu recently earning extensions, Cardinals defensive tackle Calais Campbell is hoping his new contract is next on the organization’s agenda. “I hope so,” Campbell told ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. “Just one of those things when it comes, I’m going to be very happy but you got to be patient and continue playing ball and whenever it comes I’m going to be ready for it.”

No Contract Talks For DJax, Garcon

May 9th, 2016 at 7:34pm CST by Zachary Links

It appears that Washington plans on going into the 2016 with both DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon on the roster, multiple sources close to the players tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). However, there have been no talks with either player about contract extensions or re-doing their contracts.

Garcon, 30 in August, has roughly $8MM tied up between salary and bonuses for 2016. Jackson, 29, is set to carry a $9.25MM cap number in 2016 before hitting the open market. Without contract talks for either player, it would seem that the team is getting ready to move on from one of the veterans – or perhaps both – after the 2016 season.

Based on their moves this offseason, it seems that Washington is already shifting its offensive focus away from Jackson and Garcon. The team used a first-round selection to grab TCU product Josh Doctson who was the third wide receiver to come off the board after Corey Coleman of Baylor (Browns) and Will Fuller of Notre Dame (Texans). And, more recently, Washington shook hands with tight end Jordan Reed on a brand new extension worth $48.421MM over five years. Cole posits that the team is looking to supplant one of its veteran wide receivers with Doctson while utilizing Reed as the star of its aerial attack.

Garcon caught 72 passes for 777 yards in 2015, a far cry from his 113 catches for 1,346 yards in 2013. Jackson spent a good chunk of 2015 on the sidelines and only managed to record 30 receptions for 528 yards across ten games last season. In his previous two campaigns, Jackson comfortably cleared 1,000 yards receiving.

Recently, PFR’s own Dallas Robinson highlighted Jackson and Garcon as two veterans who could be seriously impacted by the NFL Draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Rumors: Vernon, Wilkerson, Cowboys

February 27th, 2016 at 3:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins and Olivier Vernon‘s representatives haven’t spoken much about the possibility of a long-term deal in Miami, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports.

Recognizing the interest the 25-year-old defensive end will draw in free agency if he reaches the market, the Dolphins will entertain the possibility of tagging Vernon with the intent to then trade him, sources inform La Canfora.

The franchise tag for defensive ends is $15.7MM, and the Dolphins already employ the league’s highest-paid defender in Ndamukong Suh, who makes $19.06MM per year. Suh and Cameron Wake‘s cap numbers add up to $38.4MM in 2016 if those contracts are not restructured, making a potential Vernon extension tricky.

PFR’s Dallas Robinson rated Vernon as a top-15 free agent in this year’s class.

Here’s some more news coming out of the Eastern divisions on Combine Saturday.

Publicly seeking a long-term deal for some time, Muhammad Wilkerson could also be a tag-and-trade candidate, La Canfora reports. The Jets and Wilkerson’s reps aren’t close on a long-term deal and haven’t discussed it much since talks broke off last year. The 25-year-old’s been the game’s second-best 3-4 defensive end over the past few seasons, and the $15.7MM Wilkerson would draw as a tagged player would make Gang Green’s auxiliary moves — like keeping Ryan Fitzpatrick — more difficult. The Jets possess $21.9MM worth of cap space. League executives told La Canfora Wilkerson is “plenty worth” the deal Marcell Dareus signed to stay in Buffalo last year (six years, $95.1MM, with a $25MM signing bonus) and would be incredibly sought-after on the open market. La Canfora lists the Giants, Raiders and Jaguars as teams who would listen in a tag-and-trade scenario.
Jerry Jones expects Tony Romo to be the Cowboys‘ quarterback for another four or five years, he tells media, including Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Although this isn’t the first year Dallas’ owner tossed out that timetable for the soon-to-be-36-year-old quarterback, it wouldn’t mesh with Dallas drafting Romo’s successor at No. 4 overall, but either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz probably reaches the Cowboys at that spot barring a trade-up scenario.
Romo’s leaning toward having a plate surgically inserted to stabilize his collarbone, which he injured twice last year, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports. Such a procedure would allow the 11th-year Cowboys starter to participate in offseason workouts despite suffering his latest setback on Thanksgiving Day.
Romo’s backup could be a higher-profile player than Wentz or Goff, at least according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. The veteran reporter expects Robert Griffin III to be in play for the Cowboys next month despite previous reports indicating tepid interest on Dallas’ behalf, Schefter said on a radio appearance with Cowlishaw and Mosley (via JP Finlay of CSNMidAtlantic.com).
The lengthy legal battle between DeSean Jackson and former agent Drew Rosenhaus ended with a judge ruling the Washington wideout doesn’t have to pay back the $516K he was previously ruled to have owed Rosenhaus, Daniel Kaplan of the SportsBusiness Journal reports (on Twitter). Jackson and Rosenhaus had been mired in a legal tussle since 2013, when Jackson fired Rosenhaus in favor of Joel Segal. In April 2014, an NFLPA arbitrator ruled in Rosenhaus’ favor after the agent filed a grievance to recoup unpaid loans and agent fees.

East Notes: Schwartz, D. Jackson, Galette, Fins

February 15th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

After watching the Giants post 6-10 records for two consecutive seasons, Geoff Schwartz will be eyeing a contending team in free agency, the recently released offensive lineman told Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link).

“I want to go to a winner. I’m tired of congratulating my friends on winning Super Bowls,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz probably won’t receive a four-year contract like he signed with the Giants two years ago, considering the guard/tackle has only played in 13 games the past two seasons, but the $4.2MM AAV on that deal may still be in the ballpark of what the 29-year-old Schwartz seeks. Pro Football Focus rated him as the league’s 20th-best guard last season, even though he only played 11 games.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s East divisions:

DeSean Jackson only has one year left on his contract with Washington, and the team would create nearly $7MM in cap savings by cutting him, but such a move doesn’t really makes sense, according to John Keim of ESPN.com. If anything, Keim writes, Washington should explore the possibility of tacking a couple more years onto Jackson’s deal.
Mike Jones of the Washington Post explores another contract situation in Washington, examining what sort of offer the club should make to pass rusher Junior Galette. According to Jones, people familiar with Galette’s thinking believe he might prefer a one-year pact in order to rebuild his value and land a big, multiyear contract a year from now. However, Galette also may be unwilling to sign another low-salary deal, preferring something in the range of $7-9MM. That could be too pricey for Washington, complicating negotiations.
James Walker of ESPN.com debates whether the Dolphins should take a rebuilding approach this offseason, or simply retool their roster and attempt to win now. Walker comes down in favor of a rebuild, arguing that quick fixes haven’t worked in Miami and that the team should recommit to building through the draft.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Washington Notes: Riley, D. Jackson, Scherff

February 10th, 2016 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Six-year veteran Perry Riley remains under contract, but Washington must decide whether to keep him in their plans or move on from him, as Mike Jones of The Washington Post writes. Riley, 27, is entering the final year of a three-year, $12MM contract that he signed in 2014. He’s set to earn a base salary of $4MM, with about $1MM in prorated signing bonus money bringing his total cap hit to $5MM+. Washington could save itself $4MM by cutting Riley.

Here are a few more notes out of the nation’s capital:

Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com debated the merits of Washington bringing back DeSean Jackson in 2016. Jackson is set to cost $9.25MM against Washington’s cap in 2016 and the team can save $6.75MM in cap space by letting him go. Talent-wise, Jackson can still bring something to the table, but one has to wonder if GM Scot McCloughan will want to pay that kind of money to a veteran who skipped a substantial number of the team’s OTA sessions to film a TV reality series last year.
Larry Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com (video link) wonders if McCloughan will try to build Washington’s defense through free agency.
Washington raised some eyebrows last spring when the team used its fifth overall pick on offensive lineman Brandon Scherff. However, the rookie had a solid first year in D.C., and his steady progress bodes well for the club going forward, writes John Keim of ESPN.com.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Gordon, Megatron, Ravens

February 6th, 2016 at 12:39pm CST by Ben Levine

During his Super Bowl press conference, Roger Goodell acknowledged that he had received Josh Gordon‘s application for reinstatement. The commissioner now has 60 days to determine whether the Browns wideout should be reinstated. Before he makes a decision, Goodell wants to see whether the embattled receiver has changed his ways.

“The process is we will go back and look at how he’s conducted himself over the last several months, what he’s done to make sure it’s consistent with the terms of his suspension, and at some stage we’ll have a report on that, and I will engage with our people to understand where he is, where he’s been, but most importantly, where he’s going,” Goodell said (via Tony Grossi ESPN.com).

“When these things happen, it’s about trying to avoid them in the future. Our No. 1 issue here is to prevent these things from happening.

“I’m hopeful that Josh understands that he’s going to have to conduct himself differently going forward to be a member of the NFL and to be representing the Cleveland Browns — or any team in the NFL. So, our job is to try to get people to understand that, try to make sure that they live by the policies that we have, and ensure that this is what all of us want and also what the fans want. Our fans want everybody playing by the same rules.”

The Browns wideout was suspended indefinitely last February, and the 24-year-old didn’t play a single game this past season.According to the report, Gordon’s party “is confident he has met terms of his indefinite suspension to merit reinstatement.”

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

Jets wideout Brandon Marshall respects Calvin Johnson‘s decision to potentially walk away from the game. “Awesome. I think that he’s strong,” Marshall told Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post. “I think it takes a lot of strength and courage to walk away from the game. I think all of us face that time when we question ourselves or question our passion and love for the game, and if we want to move forward. I think most of us stick around a year or two or three too long.”
The Ravens have traditionally avoided big-name free agents, but ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley believes if the team were to spend this offseason, they’d pursue a wide receiver. According to the writer, potential options include DeSean Jackson, Vincent Jackson, Victor Cruz and Roddy White.
Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is the “overwhelming favorite” to receive the team’s franchise tag, writes Hensley.

NFC Links: Lions, Brees, Washington

January 23rd, 2016 at 11:50am CST by Ben Levine

Haloti Ngata was banged up for much of his first season in Detroit. Still, the veteran enjoyed his time with the Lions, and the impending free agent is very interested in returning.

“I’d love to stay,” he told Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. “I love what coach (Jim) Caldwell has done here. I love playing under him and coach Kris (Kocurek). I feel like I got in a groove at the end of the season and hopefully I can play a full season understanding the system.”

Let’s look at some more notes from around the NFL…

The Lions are expected to hire David Walker as their running backs coach, reports Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez (via Twitter). Walker previously spent time on the Colts coaching staff, where he worked under Lions head coach Jim Caldwell.
Drew Brees doesn’t necessarily need to take a payout to save the Saints some money, writes ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett. The veteran quarterback could sign a multi-year extension, and the organization could then distribute the cap hit however they’d like. Ultimately, the writer believes the team should continue to pay Brees $20MM a season. While it isn’t necessarily a paycut, it’s well below what the veteran could make on the open market.
Safety Dashon Goldson could be among the surprise cap casualties for Washington this offseason, according to Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Meanwhile, Tarik El-Bashir points to lineman Kory Lichtensteiger and receivers Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson.

East Notes: JPP, D. Jackson, Maccagnan

December 30th, 2015 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

There were some frustrating moments for the Giants and Jason Pierre-Paul over the summer, when the standout defensive end – having received the franchise tag – refused to report to the team and its doctors for several weeks while he was recovering from a July 4th fireworks accident. The situation, which resulted in the two sides eventually agreeing to a reworked contract, had the potential to create some acrimony, but JPP doesn’t seem too phased by it.

According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (Twitter link), Pierre-Paul said today that he would like to continue playing for the Giants next year, despite the fact that his contract will expire this winter. “I would like to finish my career here,” the veteran pass rusher said.

Contract negotiations between JPP and the Giants – or any other team – should be fascinating, since it’s hard to know exactly how high his ceiling is now that he’ll have to deal with his right hand issue for the rest of the his career. As we look forward to seeing how the situation plays out, let’s explore some other East notes…

Washington likes wide receiver DeSean Jackson “a lot” and hopes to keep him around going forward, sources tell Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Jackson will count against the cap for $9.25MM in 2016, the final year of his contract, though that figure could be reduced with an extension.
Darrelle Revis‘ pick for executive of the year is Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan, as Seth Walder of the New York Daily News writes. Revis, having received $39MM in guaranteed money from Maccagnan in March, might be a little biased, but he may not be the only one who picks the Jets GM. Within his annual contract awards, former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com identifies Brandon Marshall and Ryan Fitzpatrick as the top two acquisitions of the year.
After having to deal with health issues again in 2015, Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne will have a lengthy injury history on his résumé if and when he hits the open market this winter. For now, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes, Claiborne isn’t thinking about that, though the former first-round pick hopes to remain in Dallas.