With the clock ticking toward a Wednesday afternoon deadline for Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson landing with a new team and missing only four games, there are rampant Twitter rumors and speculation that a deal between the Chargers and the Vikings has been reached.
If that’s the case, no one is talking about it yet.
Though neither team privately will confirm that anything is happening, neither team has dismissed it, either.
Sources close to the player continue to take a “we’ll see” approach to the situation.
The challenge for the Chargers will be to compare any trade offers to the potential third-round compensatory pick in 2012 they’ll be in line to receive if Jackson leaves as an unrestricted free agent in March, or whenever the new NFL season starts. And the Vikings may be able to justify the investment by realizing that they possibly could be in line for the compensatory pick in 2012, if they don’t re-sign Jackson.
In the end, the best approach could be to tie the ultimate compensation to Jackson’s performance in 2010 and/or whether he signs a multi-year deal with the Vikings. The more the Vikings get out of him, the more willing they may be to part with a higher level of compensation.