The news that Philadelphia Eagles fans have waited for since DeSean Jackson held out at the beginning of training camp last July has finally happened.
The Eagles gave Jackson a five-year, $51 million contract extension, keeping him with the Eagles through the 2016 season, a league source told CSNPhilly’s Derrick Gunn.
The deal includes $16 million in guaranteed money.
“We are thrilled to be able to keep one of the NFL’s top playmakers in Philadelphia,” head coach Andy Reid said in a released statement. “DeSean is a game breaker, he has the speed and ability to score from anywhere on the field, and he has proven himself to be a big threat for our offense. Signing our own players was a big priority for us this off-season and DeSean was certainly high on our list. We are very excited about his future as an Eagle.”
The Eagles had originally given Jackson the franchise tag, which would have paid him $9.2 million for the 2012 season.
During his four seasons in Philadelphia, Jackson has established himself as one of the top playmakers in franchise history. He has caught 230 passes for 4096 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was named a Pro Bowler in both 2009 and 2010, becoming the first player to earn the award at two different positions in ’09 (wide receiver and punt returner).
He also has three rushing touchdowns and four punt return touchdowns. He tied an NFL record with nine touchdowns of 50 or more yards in the 2009 season, and his 13 touchdowns of at least 60 yards since 2008 is six more than the next best NFL player.
Last season, Jackson had easily his worst season as a pro. He held out of training camp and was later suspended for a game against the Arizona Cardinals for oversleeping a mandatory team meeting the day before. He failed to reach 1000 yards on the season and caught just four touchdowns. He also dropped six touchdown passes and was benched in a blowout loss to the New England Patriots (after dropping two touchdowns).
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