DeSean Jackson has parted ways with agent Drew Rosenhaus, and reports say he may hire Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports to represent him in the future.
According to Philly Mag’s Tim McManus, Jackson and Rosenhaus are splitting “in part over money.” Rosenhaus reportedly believes that Jackson owes him money. A 2011 report said that Jackson owed a lot of money to Rosenhaus, so it could be more of the same issue.
The Philly Inquirer’s Jeff McLane says Jackson has to wait five days after he files paperwork with the players’ union before he can talk to new agents. McLane reports that Jackson could sign with Jay-Z’s company, which also recently signed New York Jets second-round pick Geno Smith. USA Today Sports’ Mike Garafolo takes that report a step further, saying Jackson “would like to” hire Jay-Z’s agency, in part because of the wide receiver’s interest in developing his Jaccpot Records music label.
CSN Philly’s Geoff Mosher reports that Rosenhaus is trying to resolve the situation before Jackson finds a new agent.
Jackson is entering his sixth season in the league and already will be on his third agent. He was represented by DeBartolo Sports as a rookie and signed a four-year, $3.4 million deal after being selected in the second round in 2008. Jackson changed agents in November, 2009, amid his second straight strong season in the league. He hired Rosenhaus with the intention of getting a new contract to replace his rookie deal.
Jackson played out his existing rookie deal and struggled in 2011, mostly because of issues related to his contract. There were questions about his lack of effort that season. People believed he was intentionally avoiding contact to ensure he didn’t get hurt before his opportunity to sign a new deal. He later apologized for his poor season, and the team placed a franchise tag on him for the 2012 season. The two sides then reached agreement on a five-year, $51 million contract.
The issue with Jackson’s contract is that most of his money is guaranteed for the first two years. He earned $11 million last year ($10 million was his signing bonus), and he is set to earn $7 million this year. After that, it will cost about $11 million annually for the Eagles to bring him back from 2014-2016 (full contract details here), so they might find that to be too expensive.
Denise White of EAG Management said on Sunday night that Jackson was not entertaining any new agents or agencies at present.
