Though he doesn’t enjoy the same no-franchise-tag leverage that helped receiver Larry Fitzgerald get an eight-year, $120 million contract, Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson will get paid, one way or the other.
His one-year franchise tender, fueled by crazy salaries paid in the uncapped year to wideouts like Miles Austin of the Cowboys ($17 million), sits at $11.424 million. If the Chargers use the franchise tag again, Jackson will make at least $13.7 million in 2012, giving him a two-year take of more than $25 million.
If the Chargers don’t use the tag next year, Jackson will hit the open market on the heels of the Fitzgerald deal.
As long as Jackson, 28, stays healthy and productive, he’ll get paid a lot of money.