Paul Domowitch: Eagles' DeSean Jackson deserves extension that he probably won't receive

ORLANDO, Fla. - DeSean Jackson is one of the best bargains in the NFL, and from the looks of things, he's going to continue to be one for a while longer.

The Eagles' Pro Bowl wide receiver and punt returner wants a contract extension. He deserves a contract extension. To borrow a term popularized by his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, DeSean clearly has "outperformed" the 4-year, $3.47 million contract he signed with the Eagles 2 years ago when character, work ethic and size questions were responsible for him sliding to the Eagles in the middle of the second round of the 2008 draft.

Since then, all he has done is establish himself as one of league's top big-play threats. Last year, he caught 63 passes, averaged 18.5 yards per catch, led the league in punt-return average (15.2) and scored 12 touchdowns, eight of them from 50 yards or more.

That's big-time production, but he didn't receive big-time pay. Jackson earned just $776,000 last year, including $385,000 in base salary and a $391,000 roster bonus. This year he's scheduled to make a tad more - $805,000 ($470,000 in base salary and a $335,000 roster bonus).

Late last year, Jackson dumped the agent who negotiated his rookie deal - Adam Heller of DeBartolo Sports - and hired Rosenhaus. Rosenhaus is very good at convincing ascending young players that he can help them hit the mother lode. Does it as smoothly as a Hollywood casting director telling an aspiring young actress that he can make her a star.

The truth is, under normal circumstances, a fifth-grader could get a big-money extension for Jackson right now. Under normal circumstances, the Eagles would be as eager to tie up Jackson to a long-term extension as he is to get one. But since the NFL's salary cap went bye-bye earlier this month, these aren't normal circumstances.

The new rules that are in play for the final uncapped year of the league's collective bargaining agreement make it extremely difficult to do extensions, particularly for players with low base salaries who are looking for huge raises like Jackson and Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson.

Under the terms of the CBA, base salaries are limited to 30 percent increases per year. Even at the maximum 30 percent rate, it would take Jackson 4 years just to get his base salary up over $1 million, which is a lot of money to me and you, but is chump change for a Pro Bowl wide receiver who scored more than a quarter of his team's offensive touchdowns last season.

Signing bonuses are exempt from the 30-percent restriction, which means the Eagles could theoretically solve the problem by giving Jackson a ginormous signing bonus. But teams are reluctant to do that because of the language in the CBA restricting forfeiture of signing bonuses if a player gets into Michael Vick-like or Plaxico Burress-like trouble. Not that they expect Jackson to go out and slaughter dogs or shoot himself in the leg in a bar any time soon, but hey, you never know.

According to the CBA, signing bonus forfeitures are limited to cases of holdouts or retirement. It further limits any forfeiture to 25 percent of the total prorated amount. Last year, NFL special master Stephen Burbank, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, ruled in the Burress case that a player can violate behavior clauses in his contract and still be paid bonus money. Bottom line: The Eagles aren't going to give Jackson a $30 million signing bonus, even if it means risking having an unhappy star player.

Rosenhaus, who represents more than 150 NFL players, was seen slithering through the Ritz-Carlton resort lobby earlier yesterday, where the NFL owners are meeting. He had a brief chat with Eagles president Joe Banner.

Asked about his quest for an extension for Jackson, Rosenhaus said, "I'm not going to talk about DeSean and his contract," which beats the hell out of "next question." Banner also declined comment when asked about Jackson's contract.

A league executive who is familiar with Jackson's contract situation said it will be "impossible" for Jackson to get the type of contract extension he and Rosenhaus are seeking under the current restrictions.

"It's possible with some guys if they had a reasonable Paragraph 5 salary last year that you could work off of that and increase it [each year] by 30 percent and get to an OK number and then put the rest in a signing bonus," he said. "It's not that hard.

"But the guys you can't really do anything for are guys like DeSean or Chris Johnson, who have these low or minimum Paragraph 5 salaries. Almost anybody who wasn't drafted in the first round is going to have too low a Paragraph 5 to be able to do one [an extension]."

Johnson was a first-round pick. He was the 24th selection in the '08 draft and signed a 5-year, $9.226 million deal. But he got most of his money in first- and second-year bonuses. He received $1.125 million in bonuses his rookie year and got a $3.86 million roster bonus last year. His actual base salary last year was the same as Jackson's - $385,000. The guy rushed for 2,006 yards last season and will make just $550,000 this year.

"There's really no loophole around [the 30 percent rule]," the league executive said. "The only thing you can use is the signing bonus. But you've got to still maintain some reasonable percentage of a deal. Otherwise, you're putting yourself out there naked. If the guy does something stupid down the line like Vick or Burress did, you're absolutely screwed."

Only time will tell how Jackson will deal with the inability to get a contract extension. He didn't hire Rosenhaus because he needed a guy who could get him a good deal on hair gel. He hired him because Drew told him he could make him very, very rich.

"It would be great [to get a new deal]," Jackson said in a January interview with WPEN-FM (97.5). "I'm just going to train hard and work hard and enjoy myself right now. I'll let Drew be the aggressive one and I'll just sit back and handle what I can do." Asked by reporters at the Pro Bowl whether he expected a new deal before next season, Jackson said, "Hopefully, it would be nice. I'm shooting for the top."

He may need a sniper rifle.

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