They say Father Time is undefeated. Tom Brady might disagree with that, but for the majority of us, it’s a given that we’ll slow down, the hair will thin out, and injuries will occur while carrying on basic day-to-day functions like sleeping and getting up from the couch. Heck, we can’t all be a Philadelphia Eagles legend that plays for a decade or age in reverse like Terrell Owens.
It doesn’t take much. A quick glance will do it, but it’s easy to see that DeSean Jackson isn’t the player that he once was. He’s pretty good. Heck, even with the injuries and the knowledge that he’s slower than he once was, if you stuck him back on Philadelphia’s depth chart, he might still be their second or third-best receiver on any given Sunday.
He still runs past people sometimes, and even in that, we see how gifted he truly was and still is. NFL teams still struggle to keep up with this guy sometimes.
Some guys have speed. DeSean’s speed was superhuman, so much so that even though he’s a step slower, he’s still on equal footing as so many other guys. It sounds crazy, but it’s true. D-Jax is the best deep threat in the history of the National Football League. The question is this. What comes next?
Have we seen the last of the Eagles legend on NFL Sundays?
15 NFL seasons with five different teams are in the books. It appears that one of Eagles Nation’s greatest real-life superheroes might be thinking about his own mortality.
In a recent episode of Sports Illustrated’s Laces Out with Ashley Nicole Moss, DeSean said it best. “My career’s been one helluva ride.” On the subject of retirement and if he’d consider playing elsewhere, the man Birds fans will always associate the number 10 jersey with had this to say:
"Chiefs may be one… The Browns … Russell Wilson in Denver … Green Bay. You on the right track, so we’ll see for sure."
One team was noticeably absent from that list. It’s okay. We get it.
Again, when a man gets to the end of a great career, he begins to think about everything that came earlier. Only one thing has eluded Jackson, and that’s winning a Super Bowl. He came oh so close last year, but the L.A. Rams let him go right before they got on their roll, and Odell Beckham Jr. reaped the benefits of being in the right place at the right time.
The veteran understands what it takes, good coaching and an elite quarterback are key components. Philly’s still working on pulling it all together.
In the meantime, wherever D-Jax winds up, Birds fans will cheer for him (as long as he isn’t playing Philadelphia). That’s a given. The love is still there. So is the support. No one wants to see DeSean win a ring more than the members of football’s most passionate fan base.