The Philadelphia Eagles placed their franchise tag on DeSean Jackson today, signaling that they would like to keep Jackson around through next season, whether or not they can get a long term contract done with him.
“We want DeSean to be an Eagle for the long haul and this is a step in the right direction to accomplish that,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said 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.”
Jackson said, “I’m very excited and I’m blessed at the same time. We came a long way.”
While all the public talk has focused on keeping him in Philly, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has indicated that the Eagles are open to listening to trade offers for the talented playmaker. Placing a franchise tag rather than locking him down with a long term contract may be another indication of that willingness. If they franchise him and trade him, they can still get significant value for him while letting his new team work out the parameters of a long term deal.
Jackson was unhappy with the failure of the Eagles to negotiate a contract extension going into last season, while they spent freely to bring in free agents such as Nnamdi Asomugha and Vince Young, and rewarded Michael Vick with a $100 million contract.
Jackson has been one of the key offensive weapons for the Eagles, averaging over 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons, but he was paid less than the Eagles’ long-snapper last season. He is one of the fastest and most exciting players in the league, and it looks like this story may be far from over.
