The Raiders are in “win now” mode. They’ve got the cap space. They need to attract fans to the sewage-challenged Black Hole. So why aren’t they at the front of the line for receiver DeSean Jackson?
As one league source explained it to PFT, G.M. Reggie McKenzie is leery about Jackson. Not because of the trumped-up gang ties (the more we read the supposedly groundbreaking NJ.com article about suspected gang ties, the less hard news we actually see in it), but because of Jackson’s reputation as a me-first player who can’t be controlled.
While the Raiders have been buying up plenty of veteran free agents, most are regarded as good teammates who’ll provide positive influences to the locker room. That’s not the reputation Jackson enjoys.
While Raiders quarterback Matt Schaub has made a public pitch for Jackson, one of the concerns is that Schaub has never had to control a potentially difficult receiver. Andre Johnson, Schaub’s long-time No. 1 target in Houston, is the anti-diva -- a team-first guy who has never created many issues in Houston.
Of course, it may not ultimately be McKenzie’s call. If owner Mark Davis, who has been prodded by defensive back Charles Woodson to do what his father would have done with a talent like Jackson available for no compensation, decides he wants DeSean, it won’t matter if McKenzie is leery.