Nine teams have reportedly reached out to the recently released wide receiver DeSean Jackson over the past 24 hours, and more light continues to be shed on the situation.
On Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs were among the first four teams to contact Jackson’s camp, and that number quickly ballooned up to six by the day’s end. Among the other teams rumored to have interest were the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks.
That was until Saturday morning — when one team entered the race for Jackson and another team dropped out.
Count the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a potential landing spot, according to the Tampa Bay Times. First-year Bucs coach Lovie Smith told the Times he’s watched Jackson for a long time and the team will consider “everyone” who can help it win.
“I’ve had a chance to be on the other side of the field and have watched him make a lot of great plays,” Smith said. “He’s a great football player. Of course, we look at everyone we think can help us win.”
General manager Jason Licht, too, expressed interest in Jackson, but was more cautious with his comments.
“He’d have to be the right fit on and off the field,” Licht said. “I don’t want to dismiss him right away but we’re looking at a bunch of other players, too.”
It doesn’t sound like the Bucs will make too hard of a push for Jackson, and neither will the Jets.
According to the New York Daily News, the Jets were not one of the six teams that reached out to Jackson’s representatives Friday. General manager John Idzik and owner Woody Johnson both seem skeptical about adding a player like Jackson to the locker room. There is, of course, the chance the team just doing its homework before it makes any moves.
Jets are NOT one of the nine teams that now have inquired on free-agent WR DeSean Jackson.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 29, 2014
Six teams reached out to DeSean Jackson’s camp yesterday, per @AdamSchefter. I’m told that Jets GM John Idzik did not. #nyj
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) March 29, 2014
One more team known to be in on Jackson is the Raiders, who were one of the first teams that surfaced as a possible trading partner when the wide receiver was placed on the block. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Raiders were in on Jackson along with the Jets and Chiefs.
The #Chiefs, #Jets and #Raiders are all pursuing former #Eagles WR DeSean Jackson, per a league source.
— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) March 28, 2014
Accordingly #Raiders won’t make a rash decision. They’ve been researching DeSean Jackson for weeks. Background that Andy Reid already knows.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 29, 2014
The final team that has been linked to Jackson is the 49ers, according to Pro Football Talk, which reported the team wants to supply quarterback Colin Kaepernick with more weapons and views Jackson as a “last piece of the puzzle.” Per the report, the Niners could offer Jackson a one-year deal in the range of $6 or $7 million.
