DeSean Jackson Could Be Released

While it has been widely reported that the Eagles are trying to trade receiver DeSean Jackson, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that the team will release Jackson if no deal is struck.

In the piece, Mehta credits his source with saying “Philly is trading him or cutting him. That’s a fact. They don’t want him.”

Mehta writes that Jackson seems uninterested in taking a pay cut, but believes that the 27-year-old playmaker will have to restructure his contract in order to get a deal done. Fresh off the NFC Championship game, both the 49ers and the Seahawks have expressed interest in acquiring Jackson, although neither team would be able to squeeze his salary ($12MM per year for three years) into their books.

The Jets and Raiders both have the cap room to absorb Jackson’s salary, but he is still very highly paid. The Raiders may be unwilling to part with a valuable draft pick, and even though the Jets have some extra picks, the report that Jackson will be released hurts the Eagles leverage in trade talks.

The Patriots and Panthers have also been thought of as potential landing spots, but would seem to be equally unwilling to trade a valuable asset for such an expensive player.

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