DeSean Jackson - Pro Football Rumors

Eagles’ DeSean Jackson To Miss Time?

August 27th, 2019 at 3:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson fractured his ring finger and has been told that he will need 3-4 weeks to recover, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. The Eagles’ season begins in less than two weeks, so DJax could potentially miss time.

However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says that the team is not concerned about the injury, which is to Jackson’s left (non-dominant) ring finger, and that Jackson is not expected to miss any game action (Twitter link). Tim McManus of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that Jackson will see a hand specialist Wednesday as a precaution, but the Eagles are confident in his Week 1 availability.

Nothing is settled yet on Jackson’s status and it’s conceivable that he could try to play before he is fully healed. Tomorrow, Jackson will try out a custom-made splint, which could give him some indication as to whether he can play through the injury.

The Eagles acquired Jackson via trade with the Buccaneers in March and promptly gave him a new three-year, $27MM deal with $13MM guaranteed. They say that speed fades with time, but Jackson remains one of the league’s most potent deep threats.

After being selected in the second round of the 2008 draft, Jackson played his first six NFL seasons with the Eagles. He earned three Pro Bowls during his tenure in Philly, including a 2013 campaign where he finished with nine touchdowns and a career-high 1,332 receiving yards.

DeSean Jackson To Sign New Deal With Eagles

March 11th, 2019 at 5:24pm CST by Ben Levine

After being traded back to Philly this afternoon, it sounds like DeSean Jackson has already inked a new deal with the Eagles. ESPN’s Tim McManus tweets that the veteran receiver will rework his contract to the tune of three years and $27MM. The deal includes $13MM guaranteed (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter).

Jackson had one season remaining on his contract at $10MM. The veteran initially signed a three-year, $33.5MM deal with the Buccaneers in 2017, but Tampa Bay started shopping him only a year into his contract.

After being selected in the second round of the 2008 draft, Jackson proceeded to play his first six NFL seasons with the Eagles. He earned three Pro Bowls during his tenure in Philly, including a 2013 campaign where he finished with nine touchdowns and a career-high 1,332 receiving yards.

Jackson was solid during his stint with the Redskins, but he hadn’t show the same big-game ability during his time with the Buccaneers. Perhaps teaming up with Carson Wentz will help the 32-year-old finish with his first 1,000-yard season since 2016. As our own Sam Robinson pointed out earlier today, Jackson is an upgrade over the team’s recent deep-threat acquisitions, Torrey Smith and Mike Wallace.

Bucs To Trade DeSean Jackson To Eagles

March 11th, 2019 at 4:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

It looks like DeSean Jackson will return to the Eagles. They have reached an agreement with the Buccaneers to bring him back, Sirius XM’s Adam Caplan reports (on Twitter).

This comes shortly after Jackson indicated he would be headed elsewhere in 2019. The Eagles were the veteran deep threat’s return destination. The Bucs will receive a 2019 sixth-round pick for Jackson and will send the Eagles a 2020 seventh-rounder in the deal, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com.

Jackson played six seasons in Philadelphia, and it was the best stretch of his career. The 2008 second-round pick made three Pro Bowls as an Eagle, and although he performed well with the Redskins, he has not made a Pro Bowl since. This will be a major addition to the Eagles’ receiving corps, though, one that obviously looks quite different from the one he left. Zach Ertz remains, though, with a far bigger role than he had when Jackson was last in Philly.

One season remains on Jackson’s Bucs contract, at $10MM. The Eagles made several moves to create cap space in recent days, but that number is still high. It is possible an extension could bring that down, and Jeff McLane of Philly.com tweets an extension may well be in the cards.

Either way, this will be an upgrade for the Eagles, who have now acquired a new player for their deep-threat role in each of the past three offseasons, with Jackson following moves to land Torrey Smith (2017) and Mike Wallace. Even at 32, Jackson remains a more dangerous weapon than the Eagles’ recent two long-range targets.

Jackson did not click with Jameis Winston, his first Bucs season producing a career-low 13.4 yards per catch, but did do well with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Last season, D-Jax’s YPC figure ballooned back up to 18.9 — an NFL-best mark. Carson Wentz will now be throwing him passes, with the Eagles continuing to make splash moves to bolster their receiving corps.

This deprives Bruce Arians of a player he wanted back, though the Bucs are up against the cap. This trade does create $10MM in Bucs cap space. Tampa Bay still has Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. But the team may be set to lose Adam Humphries as well. With Jackson also gone, the formidable Bucs aerial corps may need an addition at wideout after two years of having arguably the league’s deepest receiving corps.

Bucs’ DeSean Jackson Wants Out

March 11th, 2019 at 2:38pm CST by Zachary Links

DeSean Jackson is hoping to be traded to the Eagles or released by the Buccaneers, a source close to the wide receiver tells ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine (Twitter link). Ultimately, DJax is angling for a fresh new start.

The wide receiver also took to Instagram on Monday to bid farewell to the Tampa area:

“Tampa it was a great experience, but things didn’t work out !! Looking forward to my next destination .. 👀 👀 Stay Tuned,” Jackson wrote.

Jackson, 32, made a lot of noise about wanting out of Tampa Bay during the season and, apparently, the hiring of Bruce Arians hasn’t swayed him. As it stands, Jackson is due $10MM in 2019, but the remainder of his contract is completely non-guaranteed.

There’s no real word on whether the Eagles would welcome a DJax reunion, but it stands to reason that they will want him back in order to fill their deep threat void. Last year, Jackson averaged a league-leading 18.9 yards per reception.

The Bucs, meanwhile, intend to keep Jackson, so this saga is far from over.

Buccaneers To Keep DeSean Jackson

March 11th, 2019 at 10:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers tried shopping DeSean Jackson, but they have been unable to find a suitable trade, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. So, for now, the Bucs’ plan is to keep the mercurial wide receiver, Russini hears.

Jackson, 32, made a lot of noise about wanting out of Tampa Bay during the season. But, this offseason, new head coach Bruce Arians was vocal about wanting to keep the deep threat in the fold. Arians may still want to smooth things out with DJax, but there’s still the matter of his contract. Jackson is due $10MM in 2019, but that sum is completely non-guaranteed, and that does not sit well with Jackson.

Jackson’s stat line hasn’t been much to write home about over the last two years, but he still has the ability to blow the cover off of any secondary. Last season, he had just 774 yards receiving, but he led the league with 18.9 yards per reception. They say speed is the first attribute to go after the age of 30, but Jackson still has the jets to make big plays happen.

Of course, plans tend to change quickly this time of year, so this is still a situation worth monitoring. Jackson reportedly wants to reunite with the Eagles and an outright release still feels like a possibility.

Buccaneers Shopping DeSean Jackson

March 11th, 2019 at 8:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have been actively shopping DeSean Jackson for a trade, according to ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine. Laine also hears the Eagles would be a preferred destination for the wide receiver.

The Bucs, naturally, would prefer to trade Jackson rather than releasing him outright. Jackson, meanwhile, would rather be released than traded. The veteran is under contract for one more season at a $10MM cap number, but that sum is completely non-guaranteed, so Jackson would rather start a negotiation from scratch while hand-picking his next team. Apparently, if Jackson had his druthers, he’d reunite with the Eagles.

The Eagles’ level of interest in trading for Jackson is not quite clear, but they would be a logical destination for the wide receiver since they need a deep threat. Last year, they thought they had a suitable deep threat in Mike Wallace, but their offense was limited after Wallace suffered a broken leg in September.

Jackson asked for a trade during the 2018 season and struggled to stay on the same page as Jameis Winston. And, although his 774 receiving yards marked an improvement from his disappointing 2017 showing, Jackson’s best games came when Ryan Fitzpatrick was throwing. The Bucs are committed to Winston for 2019, which will be Jackson’s 12th NFL season.

Bucs Rumors: Brown, Steelers, Smith

February 27th, 2019 at 6:52pm CST by Zachary Links

We could see a lot of change in Tampa this year, but do not expect the Buccaneers to pursue Antonio Brown, GM Jason Licht says (via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert).

From a talent perspective, the Bucs would surely like to have Brown on the roster. However, a Brown trade would require the forfeiture of significant draft capital and would hurt the team’s cap room, effectively forcing them to mortgage the future for a soon-to-be 31-year-old.

For now, the Bucs seem intent on keeping deep threat DeSean Jackson, though it remains to be seen whether they can hang on to pending free agent Adam Humphries.

Here’s more on the Bucs:

“I don’t envision Donovan Smith being anywhere else but the Bucs, at least for next year,” Licht said on SiriusXM (Twitter link via Greg Auman of The Athletic). He added that the franchise tag is “more than likely” for the left tackle. This jibes with what we’ve heard previously. if the Bucs follow through on that plan, they’ll be even less likely to keep their hands on Humphries.
Bruce Arians’ recent chat with Jackson went well, according to the Bucs’ new head coach. “It went great. We had a long sit-down. From my perspective, it couldn’t have been any better,” Arians said (via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com). “You’d have to talk to DeSean to find out what his perspective is. But I thought it was great. I look forward to working with him. Ton of respect for him as a player … and a person.” Licht, meanwhile, was non-committal when asked about D-Jax.
Licht was similarly non-committal when asked about six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy, who carries a $13MM cap hit in 2019 and is under contract through 2021. “Gerald’s been a real productive, successful player for the Bucs — one of the Bucs’ all-time best defensive players, you could argue,” Licht said. “He’s under contract. Ideally, [we’d] love it if he continued to be a Buc.” For what it’s worth, rumor has it that the Bucs see McCoy as a good fit, even as they transition to a 3-4 scheme.
Rising sophomore M.J. Stewart will get looks at several positions but “we’d love to see him at safety,” Licht said (Twitter link via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). Last year, the 2018 second-round pick spent the bulk of his eleven games (five starts) at cornerback. He finished out with 33 tackles and three passes defensed.
Licht noted that the Bucs can keep running back Peyton Barber with a high tender in order to keep him from free agency, which may give some insight into the team’s plans (via Auman). A second-round tender at just over $3MM should ward away other interested clubs.
Caleb Benenoch struggled in 2018 as the team’s right guard and Licht believes that a switch to tackle is in his future, Auman writes. The change would mean a backup role, so Auman wonders if his job will be safe given his scheduled $2MM salary for ’19.

Buccaneers’ DeSean Jackson Hires Agent

February 27th, 2019 at 10:07am CST by Zachary Links

Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson has an agent once again. After parting ways with Joel Segal sometime during the offseason, Jackson has hired Brad Cicala of Terra Firma Sports to represent him, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

At this juncture, it would have been foolish of Jackson to proceed without an agent. He’s under contract with the Bucs for one more season at a $10MM cap number, but that could be too costly for team brass. Meanwhile, Jackson has been non-committal on his future in Tampa while suggesting that he would be a strong fit with the Rams.

“If anything, I would like to kind of end up in L.A., being a Ram,” Jackson said in late January. “Sean McVay, you know, we got some connection from when I was in D.C., but we’ll see how it plays out, man. Right now, I got another year in Tampa. So we’ll see how it plays out, man.”

Last year, Jackson averaged 18.9 yards per reception and led the league in the category for the fourth time in his career. His overall stat line – 41 catches for 774 yards and four touchdowns – was far below his career average, but Jackson still profiles as one of the NFL’s best deep threats. There are clearly issues to be worked out between Jackson and the Bucs, but it’s possible that he’ll want to play under new head coach Bruce Arians. Arians, for his part, wants DJax back.

Rams On DeSean Jackson’s Radar

January 30th, 2019 at 3:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

DeSean Jackson posted two 1,000-yard seasons when working with Sean McVay in Washington, and the veteran wide receiver was candid about seeking a reunion with the wunderkind play-caller.

A potential Buccaneers cap casualty — though, Bruce Arians appears to want the deep threat to stay — Jackson may end up back on the market. He expressed interest in joining the Rams.

“If anything, I would like to kind of end up in L.A., being a Ram,” Jackson said during an appearance on the Simms and Lefkoe podcast (Twitter link). “Sean McVay, you know, we got some connection from when I was in D.C., but we’ll see how it plays out, man. Right now, I got another year in Tampa. So we’ll see how it plays out, man.”

As for the Rams reciprocating said interest, that seems like a stretch. Los Angeles made several splashy moves last year, setting the market at multiple positions and extending Brandin Cooks. Not only does the 25-year-old cover some of the same bases Jackson would, the Rams also have Robert Woods on a veteran contract. Cooper Kupp is due back in 2019 as well. Their repeated big-ticket additions notwithstanding, the Rams are probably not too eager to add another veteran salary to their receiving corps — unless Jackson would be willing to take a big pay cut.

Jackson, 32, is entering the final year of his Bucs contract. Considering Tampa Bay’s financial situation (barely $12MM in cap space), it would not be a stretch to see the team try to lower Jackson’s $10MM salary. Jackson was not too happy being with the Bucs last season, requesting a trade, and did not mesh well with Jameis Winston. Jackson and Dirk Koetter also clashed at a practice this season, with ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine reporting the since-fired coach took issue with Jackson’s effort during one workout, leading to a verbal dispute between the two.

The 11-year veteran said he wants to play for a team with a coach and a quarterback who understand a veteran player’s needs. Arians may fit that mold, but Jackson certainly seems to think McVay does.

“I think like where I’ve been able to come to in my career, as professional athletes having so much success, and early on in our career[s], being Pro Bowlers and being some of the players that have done some things that no other players have done, you kind of create that model and that mold behind that, like, ‘I know what it takes to get the job done,'” Jackson said.

“But then you have some coaches that have the old-school mentality, where, ‘You gotta go to practice. You gotta do it this way.’ But we’re like, ‘As long as when Sunday comes in between the white lines we do what it takes, we know what needs to be done.'”

Jackson also said during the interview he does not have an agent right now. He had been with Joel Segal since 2013.

DeSean Jackson Non-Committal On Bucs

January 18th, 2019 at 11:54am CST by Zachary Links

DeSean Jackson isn’t saying that he wants to play for new Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians. But, he isn’t closing the door on that possibility, either.

“That’s what I got an agent for, bro. I don’t know,” Jackson told TMZ.”I just go play, bro. That’s all I worry about.”

His open-ended bro-filled answer while walking through the Los Angeles airport doesn’t tell us a ton, but it is a softened stance from where DJax stood just a few weeks ago. Jackson reportedly swore off the possibility of returning to Tampa and that came after an October kerfuffle in which he requested a pre-deadline trade.

Sometimes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the Bucs’ new regime could aid in a reconciliation. Arians loves the deep ball in his offense and Jackson could conceivably thrive under the team’s new direction.

Jackson is under contract for one more season at a $10MM cap number, but that sum is completely non-guaranteed. At the moment, the Bucs have roughly $16MM in cap space, so they’ll may ask Jackson to take a pay cut in order to stay on board.