When it comes to talking about players under contract with other teams, coaches and General Managers must tread lightly. Players have a lot more leeway.
New Jets quarterback Mike Vick exercised some of that leeway during his Friday night conference call with reporters, addressing the possibility of teaming up with Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, via a trade to New York.
"[I]f there’s an opportunity to get DeSean, I’m pretty sure the New York Jets fans would be in favor of that,” Vick said. “But who knows, it takes a lot to make a trade happen [with] all of the intricacies of a contract. It’s not for us as players to decide. But hopefully everything will work out for DeSean. If he ends up in New York, we’ll be happy, just as happy as he will be. But who knows, you can’t say.”
With the Eagles saying nothing to DeSean about his status, it’s becoming more and more clear that Jackson is available, if the Jets or anyone else want him.
For the Jets, the bigger question is whether paying Jackson $10.5 million this year and paying receiver Eric Decker $10 million this year fits the overall budget. If the Jets can justify that kind of investment, they’d suddenly have a potent one-two punch at receiver, after having one of the worst sets of skill-position players in the league last season.