NFL Trade Rumors: The Case Against DeSean Jackson In San Francisco and Oakland
By Josh Davis
Dec 29, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders fan holds a “your fired” sign during the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at O.co Coliseum. The Denver Broncos defeated the Oakland Raiders 34-14. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
For those Seahawks worried about D-Jax donning a Niners jersey, the reason he didn’t work out in Philly is the exact reason he would fail in San Fran. Jimmy iron-fist over there may seem like a guy that could get DeSean under control or whatever, but DeSean isn’t the type of player that excels under control and would become an immediate locker-room distraction. Doesn’t mean the Niners aren’t interested in him though. If it could work out somehow, even for a single season, it’s the type of move that could potentially shift the paradigm towards SF in the NFC West.
The issues are that they don’t have the cap-space to trade for that single season and he’s generally not an ideal fit there with his personality, so ultimately that’s going to play huge if the Niners were to try and land him when he (potentially) gets released.
For Raiders fans, don’t you get too excited either, especially if your team let’s him walk from Philly as it looks like they will. Not only are the Raiders the one team that could actually truly afford his salary at this time, they’re also the ones with the most to lose by letting him get cut if they really want him. The risk of losing him to a more competitive buyer just doesn’t make sense, especially with his guaranteed money off the table already and only having to give up a 3rd round option. That would be a huge bargain for Oakland, huge.
Yes, I realize they could pay more than almost every other team, but then why not just do that now and secure the kid for at least one season of “all-in to win now”? So because I’m baffled on why they haven’t pulled the trigger, even though NFL.com and ESPN think the Raiders are prime players, I see them losing out big.
For DeSean, my thought on why he won’t drop his salary demands is that he wants that big check if he’s going to go to a non-competitive team for a year (like Oakland, for example). Should that happen via trade, he get’s paid, then he can re-sign with whomever he wants as a free agent in 2015 with a new deal. If he’s released, he jumps on that chance to go where he wants to be this season, which makes it the ultimate win-win situation for him.
I mean, I guess he might want to be in Oakland, but we haven’t heard anything to suggest that from him. And like I said earlier today, if he lowered his contract to facilitate a trade, the Eagles could theoretically screw him over by keeping him and sitting him on the bench for a year. Keeping leverage on a situation gone South is definitely the way to play this if you’re him.
None of this in any way means the Seahawks are front-runners in my mind for DeSean Jackson’s services (I actually like the Jets or Panthers to land him regardless of my earlier stipulations that he fits in Seattle, mostly because the current quarterback and coaching situations at those two spots are as similar to Seattle’s as you will find around the NFL, meaning he fits nicely there). I just don’t think he’ll be in the Bay at all.