Eagles tag DeSean Jackson
The Eagles announced today that they have franchised wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
Eagles tag DeSean Jackson
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
Looks like we spoke too soon with our earlier post about the Eagles and the franchise tag.
The team announced today that it has franchised wide receiver DeSean Jackson. He would have become a free agent on March 13, but the expectation was that it was never going to get to that point.
“We want DeSean to be an Eagle for the long haul and this is a step in the right direction to accomplish that,” said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman in a statement. “DeSean is a talented player and a proven playmaker in this league and we look forward to him continuing his career in Philadelphia. It’s our understanding that he has the same desire. We will continue our efforts on getting a long-term deal done with him.”
While that might be what each side desires, clearly the path to get there is difficult. What the Eagles perceive as Jackson's value and what he and agent Drew Rosenhaus perceive is far different. Teams have until July 15 to sign a player who has been tagged.
If Jackson signs the franchise tag, he would be guaranteed $9.4 million for next season on a 1-year deal. When the 2011 season ended, Jackson said this wouldn't be a problem, but his comment in the postgame locker room was hardly signed and notarized. He declined to comment at the NFL awards show during Super Bowl weekend.
The Eagles could still trade Jackson but a team would have to agree to what the Eagles would want in compensation and then agree with Jackson on a long-term deal. That seems a very unlikely scenario.
Before the tag was applied, Rosenhaus told SiriusXM, “As an agent, you really hope that your players aren’t franchised. You would like a guy who has played out his contract to have an opportunity to go and talk to other teams. A lot of guys go into free agency and sign with their teams."
"If a player is franchised, it certainly doesn't mean that you have to play for that franchise tag for that year," he said later. "You obviously have the opportunity to get a deal done afterwards, before camp starts, you have time to work out a long-term contract.
"If my clients get franchised, believe me we're going to roll up our sleeves and hope that we can convert that into a multi-year deal."
FROM EARLIER
The franchise tag has been available for use by NFL teams since Feb. 20. Nobody has been tagged. How come?
It's a question of particular concern here in Philadelphia, where the Eagles are widely expected to tag wideout DeSean Jackson by the deadline, this coming Monday at 4 p.m.
Nobody I've talked to has a single, all-encompassing explanation for the lack of activity. There could be several factors. Some teams (not the Eagles, though) might have more than one player they might want to franchise, or threaten to franchise, to get a contract done this week. You can only use the tag once, and unlike under the previous CBA, you can't use the franchise and transition tag in the same year.
Even if they just have one potential target, some teams (and again, I don't think this is the Eagles) might be trying to work out a long-term deal with the guy they could end up franchising, and are keeping the tag in their pocket as a last resort.
But mostly, the problem seems to be, stuff happens around deadlines, and the deadline is Monday. Why show your hand before then? There might be some tiny strategic edge to be gained by not franchising until the last minute, not letting other teams know that Player X is or is not going to be a free agent come Wednesday, March 13.
The one thing we do know is that according to ESPN.com, the Steelers will not franchise wideout Mike Wallace. That was a relatively easy decision because Wallace is only going to be a restricted free agent. Pittsburgh apparently plans to tender Wallace, meaning they can match an offer from another team, or get a first-round draft pick in compensation.
Should the Eagles let DeSean walk into unrestricted free agency for nothing and then try to spend their first-round pick, 15th overall, on Wallace? Absolutely not. The difference between Wallace and Jackson is negligible. The 15th overall pick in the draft is a solid asset. That would be a real Redskins kinda move, the sort that doesn't make you much better right now and slowly suffocates you down the road, as you keep having to look to free agency to fill holes that should have been filled by picks you traded away. Not to mention the squandering of an asset like Jackson. As I've said before, if a two-time Pro Bowl wideout walks out of here for nothing at age 25, somebody should be fired.
The Eagles have put it out there that they would like to trade DeSean, but tag-and-trade is a tough maneuver, rarely executed. They know that. In fact, I guess all I'm really sure of is that the Eagles WANT DeSean and agent Drew Rosenhaus to THINK they'd like to tag and trade him, maybe to a less appealing situation, as a way of applying leverage toward a longer-term deal.
Unless the Birds really do plan to let their rights lapse -- which, again, would be complete malfeasance -- Monday won't be the end of the saga. We'll have the drama over whether they'll actually be able to trade him, whether he'll actually sign the franchise tender and be happy with it, and so on, and on, and on.
Exclusive or Non-Exclusive, that is the question???— stang66302- If they can't work out a long term deal or a trade, they need to remove the trade and make him a free agent. If he's playing under the franchise tag in 2012 he will blow up this team!!— FetchDixon
- @mdb:
I like your creativity. I don't see the plan you laid out ever happening, but I like it nonetheless.— Penfold18 - Hey Les,
According to PFT, the league hadn't said what the salary cap for next season was going to be until today. That's why no team used the franchise tag before today. Teams wanted to kow what they had to play with. Although I am sure that most teams could speculate as to what the cap number was and knew if they had the cap space to use the tag anyway.— mikeyhigs - 3) He's one more concussion away from being a plant
Hilarious
— peteike - yes, all the negatives are sort of correct but give him some credit. Hes better than Freddie Mitchell. Having a receiver that can stretch the field and open up the underneath is a crucial weapon. Id still rather have a quality red zone threat like Plax over a speed guy. I agree Wallace is way better all around. I dont see them drafting a WR early, they may however pick up a FA and Im sure theyd love to move Djax. I think we fans just doubt any other teams will be willing, lets hope a team is willing to pay and take him off our hands.— peteike
- Just some food for thought - The average American annual wage is something like $26,000+. The average American would have to work 350 YEARS to earn what Jackson will be paid this upcoming year, *if* he accepts the contract. These are crazy times we live in...— philly2sf
- Guyguy4 maybe you'd "gator-arm" a couple if you thought you were a hit away from being a plant too....btw don't your points 6&7 repeat. actually the only point I see any sense with is the last, he screwed up his value in the last season but any receiver the opponent game plans for ain't chopped liver.— robinlupe
Comment removed.- I wonder what kind of names or slick ignorant comments RG3 will get if the Eagles draft him. For some reason I believe RG3 will be an Eagle after the draft.
As far as Jackson.. once again.. nobody seemed to have a problem with his production and him winning the Eagles games until last year. Now all of the sudden we are calling him T.O, questioning his heart and doubting his ability amongst the leagues best. He deserves what Holmes got and a little bit more. There is no wideout the Eagles can plug in his place that can provide the kind of explosion he can. The entire offense was built around his speed. He was here before Vick, McCoy, Maclin, and the rest of the speed racers. The Eagles went in the "Jackson" Direction when they got rid of Mcnabb after the air guitar loss to Dallas. They tied their future into the Jackson mode. DNA spliced their offense's image to Jackson's competitive spirit. And then they lowballed him and lied to him during the season about trying to compensate him with a reasonable contract.
Now since the ball is back in Jackson's corner they are trying to brush the whole thing off as business and not something more personal. Truth is.. I suspect that the Eagles decided to teach Jackson a lesson when he reportedly told T.O that he was going get paid when renegotiation talks begin.
The Eagles are an organization that is more concerned about making money then they are about winning hardware. AND THAT IS THEIR TRUE GOLD STANDARD. Suckaz that keep coming back for more and more of the same.— Zeru - Everybody forget about this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUr_oXh6h_o— Iron Giant - Bad move.— richardecredico
- major waste of $$$$; this guy's not worth 2mil a year! Players don't quit on their teammates and coaching staff!— JBinPA
- I think we should all be very encouraged that the Eagles were succesfully able apply the franchise tag to him.
It couldn't have been an easy thing for the Eagles to do(considering Jackson was likely respeatedly diving to the ground to avoid contact).
Kudos to the front office for managing to apply it before he got out of bounds.— andyd - When the birds drafted DJ, he was the same size as he is now, so his ability to go over the middle was always going to be limited. His inability to run crossing patterns is offset by keeping the safety's from crowding the line of scrimmage because they have to worry about him. If you don't understand this, how come the Eagles can beat the giants but the Patriots can't. Tell me who Coughlin worries more about, DJ or Welker?— airbuzz
