If the Chargers trade receiver Vincent Jackson by Wednesday, he’ll miss only four total games in his new city. After Wednesday, the number goes back to six.
The four-game window has helped return the process to where it was two Saturdays ago. Per a league source, at least one team has worked out a deal with Jackson; the question becomes whether the Chargers can agree to the terms of a trade.
The thinking is that the Chargers will wait until the Week Two games have been played, given the possibility that a high-end wideout on a contending team pops an ACL on Sunday afternoon, Sunday night, or Monday night. If that happens, the freshly-injured player’s team could jump into the bidding.
The broader question remains whether the Chargers want to trade Jackson. The team could opt instead to squat on his rights and hope that the current provision in the CBA that would make him a restricted free agent in 2011 survives the negotiation process. (The thinking is that it won’t.) Alternatively, the Chargers could let Jackson leave as an unrestricted free agent in 2011, and they could collect as much as a third-round compensatory draft pick in 2012.
The team currently linked most strongly to Jackson is the Vikings. The Seahawks and the Rams also have been mentioned in the past. Jackson worked out in the offseason with Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb.