Washington signs DeSean Jackson

The profile goes on to explain that there was an “unwritten agreement” between Jackson and the “certain people” he hung out with: Jackson was permitted to stay out of gang activities and pursue his potential as football player as long as he maintained loyalty to the people he grew up with. That loyalty irked his mother, apparently.

Minutes before Jackson was released on March 28, NJ.com published a report detailing his history with gang-affiliated friends. Most notable was his relationship with Theron Shakir, who was implicated, and later acquitted, in a 2010 murder of a 14-year-old named Taburi Watson. Jackson was interviewed by LAPD and was reportedly cooperative, and the incident didn’t keep the Eagles, who knew of it, from signing him to a five-year deal in 2012.

The details of the contract actually make it a four-year deal that voids to three years.

Philadelphia had been trying to trade Jackson for weeks leading up to his release, but could not find any team willing to take on his salary, which was due to be $10 million this year. The day Jackson was released, a story broke about his potential ties to the Crips, a notorious Los Angeles gang. Jackson vehemently denied the story was true.

Jackson is on the second day of his visit and obviously, things have gone well enough for contract talks to pick up. Where those talks will go is anyone’s guess, but it’s fairly obvious that Jackson does have some demand and will be looking for top dollar. In other words: he’s not interested in a pay cut.

The veteran receiver has already met with Washington coaches and has a meeting with owner Dan Snyder and general manager Bruce Allen at some point on Tuesday, according to the report. There also have been reports of Redskins players taking Jackson “out on the town,” and generally encouraging him to sign with the team.

We’re required to remind you that these strong takes are PARODY. Sorry, not sorry. All spelling errors are intentional, we think. -Ed.

Why couldnt the Eagles have caught Deseans problems before they had to cut him before he caused any problems? As it stands you cant call Philly’s refusal to address this issue anything but a failure from the ground up, just like the entire city of Philadelpha- no offense to the city of Philadelpha.

One obstacle for the Panthers could be Jackson’s potentially high price tag. Though he will likely command a cheaper contract, Jackson was set to make $10.5 million next season in Philadelphia. He has held out for big paydays in the past, as well. The Panthers currently have roughly $5 million in cap space.

Rivera didn’t comment on the Jackson’s apparent off-field problems. A NJ.com report released Friday suggested that Jackson had connections with Los Angeles gang members that concerned the Eagles. Whether the report will affect his market value remains to be seen. Schefter spoke with a source who debunked the report:

The report came out on that same day that Jackson was released from the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have been reportedly trying to trade Jackson for three weeks. His salary cap number, missed meetings and his relationship with coach Chip Kelly were cited in Friday’s report and several other reports as the reasons for the team wanting to cut ties with Jackson.

Jackson is coming off a career season in 2013, but people within the Eagles’ organization were reportedly concerned about the wide receiver’s reputation and potential as a negative influence in the locker room. Per the report:

The Eagles had been attempting to find a trade partner for the 27-year old Pro Bowl receiver for the past few weeks, but it had been reported his salary was going to be a big sticking point and it was likely he would end up released by the team if they truly wanted to part ways.

The report of gang affiliations dropped on Friday, March 28th shortly before Jackson’s release. A report by NJ.com claimed Jackson had connections to street gangs in Los Angeles and that members of the Eagles front office were concerned over the reported connections.

The news regarding a potential release came on Saturday, shortly after most concluded that a release was unlikely. That’s just how this saga has played out from the beginning.

At one time or another, we’ve heard that the Eagles want to trade Jackson, that they don’t want to trade him but instead are simply listening to offers, have promised Jackson that he will not be traded, could release him if it comes down to it and, maybe, that something has happened behind closed doors to anger someone high up, potentially head coach Chip Kelly.