The Eagles are expected to use the franchise tag to keep free agent receiver DeSean Jackson, but they’re talking publicly about getting a long-term deal done with Jackson, not just locking him up via the franchise tender.
Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman told Philly.com that everyone in the organization is on board with keeping Jackson around for years to come.
“We feel very fortunate to have him as part of our team,” Roseman said. “We all have a relationship with him. Anything other than that, like any player, we’ll try to keep it between us.”
Jackson’s numbers last season -- 58 catches for 916 yards and four touchdowns -- weren’t bad, but he wasn’t quite the big-play threat he had been the past couple of years. There was also talk in Philadelphia that Jackson wasn’t the most popular man within the franchise. And around the league, there’s been talk that a glut of available wide receivers could make it tough for any one of them to break the bank in free agency.
But Roseman said the Eagles believe in Jackson and want to get a deal done.
“I don’t think this is about leverage; this is about a relationship we have with a player that we drafted and that we feel strongly about,” Roseman said. “We feel fortunate to have a player of DeSean Jackson’s magnitude on our football team and I think the future is bright for DeSean Jackson.”