Eagles Are Very Serious About Unloading DeSean Jackson, Fielding Multiple Inquiries

This week there have been a lot of rumors circulating about wide receiver DeSean Jackson and his future with the Philadelphia Eagles. Although some initial reports suggested Chip Kelly had told Jackson he would not be traded, Philly.com’s Les Bowen has since confirmed that no such conversation ever took place.

Not only is Jackson on the trading block, the Eagles are motivated sellers, having already fielded serious inquiries from a number of interested suitors. The Jets, Patriots, Panthers, Raiders and 49ers are among the teams hoping to secure the services of the talented wideout for the upcoming season.

That being said, those services do not come cheap.

Jackson is going into the third year of a five-year contract, which pays him over $35 million through the next three seasons. In 2014 he represents a cap hit of $12,750,000, the most lucrative year of the deal. In 2015 it drops slightly to $12 million and in 2016 his salary will count $10.5 million against the cap.

Those big bloated numbers are going to seriously impact any offer extended to the Eagles, unless they’re willing to pay portion of Jackson’s salary. Whether or not they’d willing to do that really depends on why they’re suddenly looking to unload him.

If the Eagles are simply looking to move him for monetary reasons, hoping to free up some room under the cap, there’s no chance they’ll entertain offers that include shouldering part of Jackson’s hefty salary. In which case, a third round draft pick could be all it takes to close the deal.

After all, he’s set to be the seventh highest paid WR in the NFL this season, but last season he finished 23rd among receiving leaders. While Jackson’s talent will be attractive to teams in need, those numbers combined with off-the-field issues will both impact his trade value.

If the Eagles are looking to trade Jackson in hopes of replacing him with a younger model with less baggage, then they’d more than likely be willing to pay a big chunk of his salary for at least one season. That scenario could result in a first or second round draft pickup, given Jackson’s age and history of production.

At this point the Kelly’s motivation is not yet known, but his silence on the matter speaks volumes. If this were a simple matter of freeing up cap space, it would best serve all parties to come out and say just that.

Because that hasn’t happened, the more likely scenario is that Jackson has fallen out of favor in Philadelphia, for one reason or another, and sending him packing is the only option. Coming out and saying that would negatively impact both parties—Philly would hurt their bargaining position and Jackson’s value would sink.

This story heated up in a hurry because they want this deal to get done in a hurry. Kelly earned some capital last season leading the Eagles to an unlikely division win in his first year. Capital he’s cashing in quickly, by letting Michael Vick walk and pushing out Jackson, who has been one of the team’s most productive offensive weapons since 2008.

While questions remain, there’s one thing we now know for absolute certain: This is now Chip Kelly’s team.