Now that the Eagles have cut receiver DeSean Jackson, he instantly becomes a free agent. Which means that he can sign with any team, at any time.
So where will he sign? Teams that definitely were interested in Jackson (although not at $10.5 million for 2014) at a time when he was merely on the trading block included the 49ers, Seahawks, and Jets. Teams like the Patriots and Raiders also could be thrown into the mix.
And then there’s the lure of keeping him in the NFC East, where Jackson would potentially face the Eagles twice per year.
There’s a distinct “win now” vibe permeating the NFL, with teams realizing that, if the coming year isn’t good enough, there may not be a next year for the people who make the decisions. Time and again, one coach believes he’ll be the guy to get through to a player who had been a problem elsewhere.
For now, it’s unclear how many teams will pursue Jackson. It’s also unclear whether a recent article from NJ.com regarding possible off-field concerns (more on that later) will make teams that previously were interested suddenly not interested.
Regardless, any team interested in Jackson would be wise to find out exactly why the Eagles decided to move on from Jackson less than three months after he produced a career year.
At this point, we know only that the Eagles aren’t interested in keeping him around — and that the Eagles weren’t able to line up a trade partner. Even with several more weeks until Jackson could have shown up for the offseason program and forced the team’s hand, the Eagles decided to close the books on Jackson and move on.