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It always did seem a little far-fetched that the Raiders would trade away a third round pick for the right to take on DeSean Jackson's $10.5 million salary. The Raiders were among several teams who were mentioned as having interest in Jackson - no doubt per his agent. Shortly thereafter, reports surfaced that some of the teams initially said to have serious interest, really didn't.
Now, the Raiders in particular have been mentioned as one of those teams not interested in a trade.
#Raiders are intrigued by DeSean Jackson, but sources say they are not inclined to give up a '14 pick. Interested in him, if he's free.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 24, 2014
Talent wise, it makes perfect sense for the Raiders to be interested. He is a three-time Pro Bowler who averages over 1000 yards per season. Over his six NFL seasons, he is third in the league in yards per catch (17.2). He also returns kicks. That's the kind of production the Raiders haven't seen since Tim Brown in the late 90's.
Financially speaking, the Raiders are one of a few teams who can afford that salary. The issue would be the fact that it would make Jackson the highest paid player on the team.
An even bigger stumbling block is giving up a pick. Reggie McKenzie loves his draft picks and giving up a third rounder always did seem very much out of character for him.
Thus far the Eagles have no found anyone to take DeSean Jackson off their hands. They want to be rid of him because of friction between he and head coach Chip Kelly. They view Jackson as a major distraction.
The prevailing thought is that Jackson will not be with the Eagles this season and that means if they can't find a trade partner, they will release him. When/if that happens, the Raiders will look to sign him.
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