The media has been having a field day with the Philadelphia Eagles and their “Dream Team” of a season over the last few weeks now that the team has reached an all-time low with a 4-8 record, but the argument can be made that no player has been dealing with as much frustration as wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
In case your an NFL fan that’s been living under a rock this season, Jackson has been upset over his contract situation with the Eagles and has done everything possible to gain an extension over the last couple of years. Jackson is only making $600,000 this season and there was hope he would display big numbers this season, but that obviously hasn’t happened as the wideout has caught just 43 passes for 698 yards and two touchdowns.
From Jackson’s perspective, it’s easy to understand why he’s frustrated over his contract. This season has been another classic example of the Eagles taking advantage of one of their players finishing out their contract instead of rewarding them with more money. Just look how long for the team to reward Brian Westbrook with a hefty deal after the type of numbers he displayed over his first couple of seasons in the league.
Imagine how Jackson must feel in the locker room when he sees teammate Steve Smith–who has caught 11 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown in nine games this season–earning $2.28 million this season. Not to mention the Eagles were willing to throw $4 million in the direction of Vince Young just to be a backup for the 2011 season.
He may not deserve the same type of money as a top-five wideout in the league, but it’s no secret the Eagles were low-balling Jackson when it comes to this contract situation and it’s understandable why he’s felt underpaid all season. However, there have also been times throughout the 2011 season where Jackson hasn’t helped his case for a new contract–so it’s easy to see both sides on this one.
The time he missed practice and ended up being benched for the game against the Arizona Cardinals. The ridiculous 50-yard catch that was called back after he showboated to the New York Giants sidelines. And let’s not forget all of the heat he took for his performance against the New England Patriots in which he dropped numerous key passes that top-five wideouts should be capable of catching.
Yes, there’s quite the list for Jackson and the worst part about this whole season is nobody knows what to expect when the time comes to decide whether or not the Eagles should bring No. 10 back. A year ago, this question would have been a no brainer considering how many times Jackson came through for Philadelphia to win games, but that’s been far from the case this season.
Take a look at Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte. He’s in a similar situation as Jackson where he’s one of the top running backs in the NFL, but extremely underpaid for the type of numbers he records.
Instead of exposing his frustration to the media, Forte has let his performance on the field do the talking and will be heavily rewarded during the offseason–whether it’s from receiving the franchise tag or a long-term deal. There are plenty of reasons as to why Jackson should be held accountable for the way things have gone this season, but when taking everything into consideration–it’s easy to see why both sides should be at fault over this mess and how it’s affected the 2011 season.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
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