Chip Kelly and Bill Belichick at 2013 joint practice session.
When I originally heard that the Patriots were interested in DeSean Jackson I wasn't really for it. While many people like it because he is a deep threat, I do not think that is a need of the Patriots.
In my opinion the Patriots have enough of a potential deep threat with players who are already on the roster. Besides, I do not think that we should be spending substantial money on that position when Tom Brady hasn't been able to throw the deep ball with much accuracy.
After I looked at the money side of things, I had a change of heart on the situation. It's obvious that one of the reasons the Eagles are looking to trade DeSean is because of finances. DeSean's cap hit for this season is $12.75 million and his base salary is $10.5 million. If the Eagles were to trade or cut him, the dead money would be a mere $6.25 million. So, by moving Jackson the Eagles can save over $6 million on this year's cap hit and over $10 million of real money.
After I looked at the money side of things, I had a change of heart on the situation. It's obvious that one of the reasons the Eagles are looking to trade DeSean is because of finances. DeSean's cap hit for this season is $12.75 million and his base salary is $10.5 million. If the Eagles were to trade or cut him, the dead money would be a mere $6.25 million. So, by moving Jackson the Eagles can save over $6 million on this year's cap hit and over $10 million of real money.
Now how does Philadelphia's finances make me suddenly think the Patriots might want to keep the situation on their radar. Well, there's been a lot of talk about the Patriots parting ways with players who still have years and money left on their contracts. One player whose name has been brought up all season is WR Danny Amendola. If Amendola were to get cut or traded his cap hit would go from $4.575 million to $6.8 million. While trading or cutting Amendola does make his cap number increase, the possibility of sending him to an NFC team is probably better than just giving him an outright release.
Although multi-player trade deals aren't very common, there is also the chance that Belichick has his eye on some Eagles' unknown player that he could get and develop on the cheap. Remember, last season the Eagles and Patriots took part in joint practices which gave both coaches the opportunity to assess each others' players for multiple days.
So, while I'm not sold on trading for DeSean Jackson for his services, I am supportive of it from a financial and periphery personnel standpoint. If the Patriots were to get Jackson on their roster, they could turn around and trade him for a player that we actually need or maybe use it on draft day. While you are probably thinking that entering into a $10.5 million contract with Jackson may be an expensive gamble to take, you do need to consider that only $250,000 is guaranteed.
Although multi-player trade deals aren't very common, there is also the chance that Belichick has his eye on some Eagles' unknown player that he could get and develop on the cheap. Remember, last season the Eagles and Patriots took part in joint practices which gave both coaches the opportunity to assess each others' players for multiple days.
So, while I'm not sold on trading for DeSean Jackson for his services, I am supportive of it from a financial and periphery personnel standpoint. If the Patriots were to get Jackson on their roster, they could turn around and trade him for a player that we actually need or maybe use it on draft day. While you are probably thinking that entering into a $10.5 million contract with Jackson may be an expensive gamble to take, you do need to consider that only $250,000 is guaranteed.
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