Latest On DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon
Free agent receiver Pierre Garcon is expected to garner $9MM per season on the open market, and Redskins teammate DeSean Jackson could command even more, sources tell John Keim of ESPN.com.
[RELATED: Top 3 Offseason Needs — Washington Redskins]
Garcon, 30, has already been linked to five clubs — the Rams, Eagles, Bears, Cowboys, and 49ers — a month before the free agent process begins, so it’s not a surprise that he’s targeting an annual salary that would place him among the top-20 highest-paid wide receivers. Although Garcon has hinted he’d prefer a reunion with Washington, Keim expects Garcon to accept the largest contact offer in free agency after posting 79 receptions, 1,041 yards, and three touchdowns.
Jackson, meanwhile, can expect a salary near or exceeding double digits, and as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reported earlier today, Jackson will likely have to take less money in order to remain with the Redskins. The 30-year-old Jackson is reportedly interested in heading back to Philadelphia this offseason, a scenario the Eagles have also contemplated. In his third season with Washington, Jackson led the league in yards per catch for the second time in three years while scoring four times.
The Redskins haven’t begun negotiations with either Garcon or Jackson, but neither are expected to offer any sort of hometown discount. As such, Keim writes that a “real likelihood” exists that both Garcon and Jackson defect via free agency.
Redskins Rumors: Cousins, Long, Scheme
This week’s been heavy on Redskins news, from the latest on DeSean Jackson‘s status, to counterpart Pierre Garcon being a coveted commodity, to updates on what’s been an interesting month for the team’s defensive staff. Here’s more coming out of Washington.
- As a second standoff with Kirk Cousins appears to be brewing, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk injects another scenario that could either keep the quarterback in Washington on a year-to-year basis or affect negotiations on a potential long-term deal. While the Redskins using the franchise tag on their quarterback this year would pay him $23.94MM in 2017, doing so again in ’18 would come out to nearly $35MM. An untenable figure, but Florio notes the team could use the transition tag on Cousins in 2018 to lower that number. Applying the lesser-used tag would bring a 20 percent increase from Cousins’ prospective 2017 tag salary, producing a $28.78MM amount. This arrangement, while unlikely, could have an impact on how the team proceeds with Cousins’ deal in the coming months, with the first two years of said proposal reflecting the franchise-plus-transition amounts instead of the salaries mirroring a two-franchise tag format.
- This $52.72MM over two years would make Cousins the highest-paid player in football, but that’s a possibility, notes ESPN.com’s John Keim. Cousins putting a near-5,000-yard season on top of what was a quality second half of the 2015 slate would obviously make him a viable passer on the open market. Although he may not get there, other teams would be lining up with interest, with the 49ers being just one. With that now factoring into his deal, Keim writes there’s a “good chance” Cousins’ AAV exceeds Andrew Luck‘s league-high $24.594MM. But with Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr entering walk years, and now the Falcons sending out signals they want to compensate Matt Ryan for his MVP season, Keim predicts one of these four passers being the league’s highest-paid player before next season starts.
- Kory Lichtensteiger resided as Washington’s starting center for most of this decade, but after the 31-year-old retired, Spencer Long is now in that position. And both JP Finlay and Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com expect Long to stay as the starting center next season and possibly serve as the long-term answer. Long’s rookie contract runs through 2017. Tandler also notes Scot McCloughan eyed now-Colts center Ryan Kelly with the Redskins’ first-round pick last year despite a 2014 third-round investment in Long.
- The Redkins have used a 3-4 defense since Mike Shanahan‘s arrival in 2010, but Finlay argues they should pivot back to a 4-3 look unless a competent nose tackle arrives via the draft. Finlay expects new DC Greg Manusky to stay with a 3-4 look. Manusky’s been a DC for nine seasons — with the 49ers, Chargers and Colts — and utilized this alignment in each.
- Substandard work during his first two offseasons will induce Bruce Allen to apply pressure on McCloughan during this one.
Jackson Will Likely Need To Take Pay Cut If He Wants To Stay In Washington
- If DeSean Jackson really wants to stay with the Redskins, he’ll probably have to turn down more money elsewhere, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. DJax says he wants to stay put, but the Redskins are reportedly lukewarm on him because of his inconsistency. Both Jackson and Pierre Garcon are free agents and it sounds like D.C. prefers the latter. Of course, with Jamison Crowder and Josh Doctson already on the roster, the team doesn’t necessarily have to re-sign either one of the vets.
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Five Teams Interested In WR Pierre Garcon
At least five clubs are expected to express interest in Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, who reports the Rams, Eagles, Bears, Cowboys, and 49ers are among the teams intrigued by the veteran pass-catcher. Garcon, for his part, would prefer to return to Washington, but as of earlier this week, the Redskins have not engaged in contract talks with the 30-year-old.
[RELATED: Top 3 Offseason Needs — Washington Redskins]
Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco are all engaged in various stages of rebuilding, and as Jones notes, each club would view Garcon as a “security blanket” as they continue to develop young quarterbacks. In the case of the Bears and 49ers, of course, that youthful signal-caller is likely not yet on the roster, but the Rams’ Jared Goff and Eagles’ Carson Wentz could each use new weapons as they head into their second NFL campaigns. Of the four clubs mentioned here, none finished higher than 16th in offensive DVOA in 2016, with Chicago leading the way and Los Angeles — dead last at No. 32 — rounding out the list.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, are in a different boat altogether, and are squarely in the 2018 Super Bowl conversation following a season that saw the breakout of quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, continuous excellence from the offensive line, and viable receiving threats that allowed the unit to rank third in DVOA. However, with both Terrance Williams and Brice Butler scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next month, Dallas could be on the lookout for a dependable No. 2 wide receiver, a description that Garcon ably fits.
In his ninth NFL season, Garcon led the Redskins in both receptions (79) and receiving yards (1,041) while managing three touchdowns, and finished 10th in DYAR and 15th DVOA among wideouts. Coming off a five-year deal signed in 2012, Garcon averaged an $8.5MM salary during his time with Washington.
Redskins C Kory Lichtensteiger To Retire
Redskins center Kory Lichtensteiger is retiring, according to Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post (on Twitter). The offensive lineman spent nine seasons in the NFL. 
This year, Lichtensteiger was scheduled for a non-guaranteed base salary of $3.25MM. Given his injury troubles in recent years, he was unlikely to collect on that sum. Between 2015 and 2016, Lichtensteiger appeared in just nine regular season games.
In September 2016, Lichtensteiger was placed on IR after suffering a calf injury. When he went down, Washington turned to Spencer Long and added veteran John Sullivan as a backup. Long turned out to be a bright spot for Washington and he could be in line for a lucrative extension this offseason. Without a starting job or even a surefire 53-man spot, Lichtensteiger is opting to move on from the game at the age of 31.
DeSean Jackson Wants To Stay With Redskins
As he nears free agency, DeSean Jackson says that he would like to remain with the Redskins. Of course, that comes with the usual caveats. 
“I do want to still be here,” Jackson told Stephen Czarda of Redskins.com. “My family and my house, I have everything here and I don’t want to be in a transaction and move. First things first, I do want to be here and hopefully we can make it work. But once again this is a business so things happen. I’m just really excited about the opportunity I have to sit and now the ball’s in my corner a little bit and see what we can do. I’m just excited and I’m going to let my agent care of all that. Ready to just sit back and whatever offers come in but obviously, like I said, I do want to be here.”
In late 2016, we heard that Jackson is eyeing a reunion with the Eagles. Those rumors gained steam when Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham and ex-Eagles running back LeSean McCoy indicated that Jackson had told them the same thing. Jackson may be intrigued by the idea of closing out his career in Philly, but he’s also making it known that he would like to remain in D.C. Meanwhile, the Redskins might not want him back and they may prefer the idea of keeping Pierre Garcon.
In 15 games this season, Jackson had 56 catches for 1,005 yards and four touchdowns.
Allen Applying Pressure To McCloughan
- Redskins president Bruce Allen is applying pressure to GM Scot McCloughan after recent struggles in free agency and the draft, Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports. Allen wouldn’t let McCloughan speak to reporters at the Senior Bowl and, per Jones, won’t permit him to talk with media at the Combine, instead preferring the third-year GM concentrate on repairing the team this offseason.
- Some talk’s surfaced about the Redskins moving Bashaud Breeland from cornerback to safety, Jones notes. But the reporter adds some in the organization would rather leave fourth-year player where he is. Breeland’s started 42 games in his three seasons, but the Redskins have more questions at safety than corner at present. Relocating inside linebacker Su’a Cravens to safety remains in consideration as well.
Redskins Notes: Cousins, WRs, Baker, Staff
Washington’s seen turnover on its coaching staff and has a potentially contentious negotiation with Kirk Cousins forthcoming. Here’s the latest emerging out of the nation’s capital, courtesy of the Washington Post’s Mike Jones.
- The Redskins would prefer to keep Cousins on a long-term deal, with Jay Gruden “standing on the table” for the sixth-year quarterback. Jones notes, though, Cousins is “a little salty” and is well aware of the differing opinions on him that exist within the organization. There aren’t any indications the sides could be closer together on terms, and Jones adds a $24MM franchise tag looms as a high likelihood despite more than five months remaining until the extension deadline. A tag for Cousins basically ensures he’s not with the Redskins in 2018, Jones writes. A tag then — at 144 percent of his 2017 salary — would come out to roughly $35MM, and the quarterback in this scenario could see the Redskins as having no faith in him if a second tag is the reality come mid-July.
- DeSean Jackson is likely to depart as a free agent, with Jones noting the deep threat is too inconsistent for the Redskins brass’ taste. The team has a higher opinion of fellow 30-year-old UFA Pierre Garcon, who has said he wants to stay in Washington. But with other teams seeking receiver help and many performers who could have been on the 2017 market (Emmanuel Sanders, Doug Baldwin, Allen Hurns, etc.) being extended, Garcon is one of the top pass-catchers available. That could complicate his return. The Redskins have not entered into negotiations with Garcon or Jackson, but that’s not necessarily seen as a deviation from the norm nor should it signal that neither wideout will return.
- Washington hired James Rowe as its new assistant defensive backs coach, per Jones. This comes a day after the Redskins announced the hiring of Torrian Gray as their top secondary boss. Rowe comes straight out of the Division II ranks, having served as Valdosta State’s defensive coordinator in 2016.
- Prior to moving toward Gray, the Redskins wanted now-Rams assistant Aubrey Pleasant to serve in Gray’s capacity. Money served as an issue that led to an irked Pleasant departing, with the move to Los Angeles coming after the Redskins previously blocked teams from interviewing their coveted assistant. Jones also notes league insiders wonder if Gray will be able to gel with some Redskins veterans who preferred Pleasant and avoid being given the “inflexible” tag previous secondary coach Perry Fewell was upon being fired along with DC Joe Barry.
- Washington does not view defensive end Chris Baker as a high priority, instead being “lukewarm” on the lineman, Jones writes. He’s expected to want more than the Redskins are willing to pay. A Redskins starter for three seasons, Baker notched 10.5 sacks in 2015-16.
Redskins Notes: Davis, WRs, Cap Casualties
With the exception of tight end Vernon Davis, the Redskins haven’t yet had any discussions with their pending free agents regarding new contracts, according to John Keim of ESPN.com. Aside from Davis, the team’s list of unsigned players includes quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receivers Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, and defensive end Chris Baker, among others. As Keim notes, though, the team’s decision not to engage with any of its potentially soon-to-be available players isn’t necessarily cause for concern, writing that “there’s no urgency yet and multiple agents weren’t surprised no one has been contacted.” Nevertheless, it would behoove the Redskins to retain at least one of Garcon or Jackson, opines Keim, who argues that better options in free agency will be few in number. Garcon and Jackson were the only Redskins targets to exceed 1,000 receiving yards last season, and losing the pair would leave them with Jamison Crowder and Josh Doctson – who endured a lost rookie year because of an Achilles injury – as their top two wideouts.
More from Washington:
- Some fans are worried that the Redskins haven’t had talks with their key free agents, but Mike Jones of The Washington Post echoes Keim’s sentiment and points out that they historically haven’t done a lot of heavy negotiating this early in the year. Overall, Jones gets the sense that Garcon has a better chance of returning than Jackson, who has been open wanting to explore free agency and could return to the Eagles.
- While the Redskins currently have no shortage of cap space (upward of $60MM), they’d lose a significant chunk of it by bringing back Cousins with either the $24MM franchise tag or a long-term deal. Thus, several of the team’s veterans are in danger of ending up as cap casualties, observes Keim, who points to safety DeAngelo Hall, center Kory Lichtensteiger, tight end Niles Paul, guard Shawn Lauvao and defensive end Ricky Jean-Francois as players whose roster spots are in jeopardy.
- The Redskins hired Torrian Gray as their new defensive backs coach Wednesday, per Stephen Czarda of the team’s website. This will be the first NFL coaching stint for Gray, who had been assisting at the college level since 2000 and spent last season on Florida’s staff. Gray’s already familiar with Redskins cornerback Kendall Fuller, having coached him at Virginia Tech from 2013-15.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Redskins Yet To Talk To Pierre Garcon
- The Redskins have yet to talk to pending free agent Pierre Garcon and other veterans who are out of contract, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. However, it’s early, so this doesn’t necessarily mean that the team is looking to move on from the veteran wide receiver. Earlier today, one writer posited that Garcon would be a good fit for the Ravens. At his age, Garcon is not a WR1-type, but he still has plenty of value as a possession receiver.