Report: Receiver-Needy Jets Have Inquired About Eagles' DeSean Jackson
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Their fans want DeSean Jackson in the worst way. The Jets? We'll see.
New York is one of several teams that have contacted the Philadelphia Eagles about the talented-yet-volatile wide receiver, the NFL Network reported Thursday.
That's not to say that the Eagles will trade him or the Jets will try to acquire him, but, looking at New York's roster and cap space, acquiring a player of Jackson's considerable abilities would make a ton of sense.
Jackson and the Jets work for several reasons. First, the 27-year-old out of California can flat play. He has three 1,000-yard receiving seasons, including a career-high 82 receptions and 1,332 yards last season. Second, Jackson may be a smallish 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, but he can flat fly, and the Jets need a deep threat in the worst way. As currently constituted they have recently signed Eric Decker, who can do a little bit of everything, Jeremy Kerley, who is developing into one of the better slot receivers in the NFL, and David Nelson, who is good route runner with nice hands but is more of a medium range target.
But as for a true deep threat? The Jets have Stephen Hill, who has only masqueraded as one over his first few NFL seasons.
What's more, Jackson enjoyed a lot of success playing under current Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who called plays for the Eagles from 2006-12, spanning five of Jackson's seasons.
And if you need even further convincing, Jackson is said to be very good friends with free agent Michael Vick, who is scheduled to visit the Jets this weekend.
The questions are many: Will the Jets trade a draft pick or two to take on Jackson's big price tag, and are they ready for a player who has been known to be a diva from time to time? He's currently in the second year of a contract that will pay him $47 million over five years. Despite having tens of millions of dollars under the salary cap to play with, general manager John Idzik has thus far proven to be quite conservative in his approach, staying away from certain players because it's hard to get value in the later years of long-term deals.
However, Jackson is in the early stages of his prime and, barring injury, should be productive for years.
Stay tuned.
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