The Buccaneers had been shopping DeSean Jackson all day according to the buzz on the street and now they have found a landing spot, shipping the receiver to the Eagles according to a report from Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
Figuring out a way to move D-Jax in a trade and having him go to Philly is a win all the way around for everyone involved.
The Bucs win because they were going to cut Jackson anyway. He had a salary of $10 million in 2019 but no dead money against the cap if released, so there was no way he was sticking around Tampa Bay next season, especially after he requested a trade in the middle of the 2018 season.
One could argue he's a good fit in Bruce Arians' offense, but that doesn't matter considering he does not have the world's greatest rapport with Jameis Winston, who the Bucs are doubling down on.
Getting anything in return for Jackson -- as opposed to nothing in return -- is a nice pull by Tampa, especially when everyone knew they were releasing him anyway. Chris Godwin is another winner here: Godwin should slot in with Mike Evans as the other starting wide receiver for Tampa and should see a significant spike in targets heading into his third year.
The Eagles win because they get a critical piece to their offense. Jackson is a deadly deep threat who can also generate big plays from close to the line of scrimmage. He should be a very nice fit in Doug Pederson's offense, and with only Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholar on the depth chart, the Eagles badly need a field stretcher who can open up the offense.
And Jackson wins because he gets to go back to where it all began, joining the Eagles for the second time after being drafted there to start his career in 2008. He likely would have signed there anyway
He'll play with a strong quarterback in Carson Wentz and get to play in an offense that suits his skillset. This is a good deal all around, barring some kind of very surprising compensation.
