DeSean Jackson reportedly believes he will not be back with the Philadelphia Eagles next season. There must be a reason for that, and that reason is becoming clearer by the day. According to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles have “intensified their efforts” to trade Jackson over the past week.
Two sources reportedly told McLane that the Eagles have been directly or indirectly shopping Jackson to a number of teams. One source said Jackson is “as good as gone” while the other estimated the 27-year-old Pro Bowler has less than a five percent chance of returning to Philly next season.
Previous reports indicated that teams had called the Eagles to inquire about Jackson, which would not not be the same as the team shopping him. Another report even claimed Eagles coach Chip Kelly has called Jackson to assure him he will not be traded. Either Kelly never made that call, or it would seem Jackson doesn’t believe him.
As McLane noted, only 13 NFL teams currently have the salary cap space needed to support Jackson’s $12.5 million cap hit for the 2014 season. Two of the teams who are said to have interest, the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers, would not have enough space without restructuring or releasing other players.
One team that could be interested in Jackson is the New York Jets, who have $27.9 million in cap space and seem intent on revamping their offense. The Jets signed Michael Vick, who is expected to compete with Geno Smith for the starting job, on Friday. Vick and Jackson have experience playing together in Philly. New York also signed Eric Decker earlier this offseason.
Given all we have heard, it would be a surprise if Jackson is with the Eagles through the NFL Draft.
