8 Philadelphia Eagles who could follow Doug Pederson out of town
By Ben Swanger
. player. 54. . . . Desean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery
DeSean Jackson shouldn’t play another snap for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The great DeSean Jackson will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest receivers to suit up for the Philadelphia Eagles, but it’s time to let go. Howie Roseman’s acquisition of Jackson back in March of 2019 was a sentimental gesture, but it was founded upon false hope.
Jackson was brought back to Philly to be a top weapon in the offense’s arsenal. He managed to appear in a measly eight games River the course of the last two seasons as he logged a meager 395 receiving yards. The writing was on the wall for failure. Teams cannot rely on mid-30-year-old receivers to be their top downfield threat.
Jackson’s cap hit in 2020 was $8.6 million, and in 2021 it’s set to increase to $10.9 million, but a post-June 1st release would result in a $9 million cap relief savings with just $1.9 million in dead money. That piece of information should all but seal the deal on Jackson’s release. His farewell will be welcomed, but the goodbye will be tough. Jackson is an all-time great Philadelphia Eagle.
The likelihood of Jackson’s career continuing elsewhere is slim. He hasn’t lost a step, but his injury concerns make it really tough on teams to roll the dice, no matter his price.
Alshon Jeffery will be remembered for two things as a Philadelphia Eagle.
Was Alshon Jeffery the anonymous source that seemed to wreak havoc on Carson Wentz’s name and the Philadelphia Eagles locker room? We might never really find out the answer to that, but what we do know about Jeffery is that his heroics in Super Bowl LII will forever be heralded.
Things have changed since then as Jeffery is just another aging receiver who has not only lost a step but, in 2020, he literally showcased a skill set that seemed to signify the vet can barely ‘step’ at all. The number of snaps that he received is mind-boggling. He failed to return from injury on the timetable the Eagles set. He took playing time away from a budding weapon in Travis Fulgham. He failed to consistently threaten opposing defenses. Jeffery is washed up in every manner of the term.
The veteran receiver’s career in Philly is all but finished. His 2021 cap hit is an earth-shattering $18.5 million, but once June 1st rolls around he will be cut, resulting in a cap relief of $12.9 million. Unfortunately, Philadelphia will have to eat about $5.5 million. Jeffery can’t and won’t be sticking around. Let’s move on to the trenches.