The Chargers have given the Seahawks permission to negotiate a contract with receiver Vincent Jackson, the first step toward a possible trade.
But there’s a catch. We’ve confirmed that the Chargers have given permission only to the Seahawks. Also, it’s our understanding that the Chargers have given no indication as to the compensation they’d want, if the Seahawks and Jackson can work out a deal.
Though the Chargers’ intentions remain unclear, one thing is clearer than a StarCaps’ users urine. This isn’t the way to go about trading a player. Even if the Chargers are reluctant to consider trading Jackson to an AFC West rival, they should be willing to open the bidding at a minimum to other NFC teams. Indeed, sometimes the best way to get the best deal comes from having two parties competing for the player’s services, especially if they’re in the same division.
So why not open it up to the Rams, who considered signing Terrell Owens? Throw in the Cardinals and the 49ers, for good measure. The Redskins supposedly were interested. The Vikings are concerned about their depth at receiver, with the status of Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin in question. The Bears’ wideouts are a collection of glorified journeymen, at best.
If the Chargers are truly interested in trading Jackson, they’d be giving permission to more than one team to talk to Jackson, and they’d also be giving the Seahawks a rough idea of what it will take to get a deal done.
The current approach suggests either that the Chargers don’t know what they’re doing, or that their plan is, as we suggested last night, to slam the brakes if/when the Seahawks and Jackson work out a long-term deal and then to offer Jackson something comparable.
Though folks who follow the team much more closely than we do think Jackson and the Chargers would never reach an accord on a long-term deal, the team’s current approach suggests that something strange is happening -- and one of the only logical explanations is that the Chargers are using the Seahawks to negotiate acceptable terms on San Diego’s behalf.