“After careful consideration this offseason, Eagles decide
to part ways with DeSean Jackson. The team informed him of his release today.”
Clearly there’s more to this story than the tweet above posted
by the Philadelphia Eagles today. Whatever the reasons, Jackson, 27, coming off the best season of a six-year career that includes two Pro Bowl nods, is now a free agent.
Salary wise, Jackson
was the costliest Eagle, with a $10.5 million contract, a $12.75 million cap
hit. By releasing him, Philadelphia
saves $6.5 million in cap space but that’s not the main consideration as
the club was already $16 million under the cap.
Jackson’s release brings the
end to his Eagles career but also to a strange couple of weeks where trade
rumours involving Philadelphia’s No. 1 receiver
were rampant, then silenced after Jackson
proclaimed that he would remain an Eagle.
Jackson’s announcement came following a meeting
with head coach Chip Kelly, who saw the situation from a different perspective.
While clearly specifying that the club would not trade Jackson, Kelly also clearly said he would
do what was best for the team.
Nobody thought that would be this.
Whether the issue is Jackson’s
relationship with Kelly, or as has been reported, his lack of commitment in the
offseason or his links to gang members in his native Los Angeles, the Eagles didn’t think the
speedy receiver was worth the trouble.
Any trouble.
The Eagles didn't even want to entertain more offers and get a draft pick in return.
Fellow receiver Jeremy Maclin compared the situation with
that of Terrell Owens when he was in Philadelphia.
And that was before Jackson
was released.
“Whatever happens in the organization happens in the
organization,” Maclin told CSNPhilly.com on Thursday. “This was a similar situation when the Eagles
decided to part ways with T.O. That’s just how the game goes sometimes. So I
guess we’ll see.”
What we have seen may be the best bit of offseason news for
Cowboys fans, as long he doesn’t re-sign within the division.
Jackson
may be a bit of a diva and may have angled too hard for a new contract but
there’s no denying he’s a playmaker. His blazing speed created a lot of space
for Kelly’s offence last season, opening a lot of holes for receivers, tight
ends and backs.
The Eagles get Maclin back and though he may have surer
hands, he is not the threat Jackson
is. And Maclin is coming off a season-ending knee injury. Instead of lining up Jackson with Maclin and
Riley Cooper, Jason Avant will step in.
Philadelphia
will miss the 25 catches of 20 yards or more that Jackson hauled in last season. To compare,
Dez Bryant had 14 such big plays in 2013. Jackson caught 82 balls for 1,332 yards and 9 touchdowns. If Avant comes close to those totals, I'll eat my shorts.
The Eagles dealt for Darren Sproles and he will help stretch
the field horizontally but unless Philadelphia
drafts a Jackson
clone, the vertical threat is gone.
And for a Dallas
secondary that’s coming off some serious wind burn last season, that’s welcome news
after seeing Jason Hatcher and DeMarcus Ware leave. Signing defensive tackle Henry
Melton was nice but much more was needed to shore up the league’s worst unit.
No, Cowboys fans are left cheering the demise of division rivals. And this is as good as it gets these days.
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