Vincent Jackson Finally Signs Free-Agent Tender

Added on Oct 29, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

The rocky marriage between the San Diego Chargers and disgruntled wide receiver Vincent Jackson has finally reached a settlement. Jackson ended his holdout today and inked a one-year restricted free agent contract. It’s not the lengthy long-term deal he wanted, but returning now will enable him to become an unrestricted free agent in 2011 and sign wherever he pleases.

All the news isn’t positive though, as Jackson still must serve an additional three-game suspension and won’t be eligible to play until Week 12. The way things are going in Charger land, he might be taking the field for a team that’s been eliminated from the playoff race. The Bolts are sitting at 2-5 with a red hot Titans team coming to town on Sunday; a loss might very well seal their fate.

The question about Jackson’s future in San Diego remains unanswered. Although both camps are saying all the right things, it’s pretty obvious a sizable rift still exists. General Manager A.J. Smith played hard ball and Jackson stayed away as long as he could before caving. Although not impossible, it seems unlikely the two sides will be able to reach an agreement down the road.

The damage has been done. If the Chargers really wanted V-Jax for multiple years they would’ve given him a deal months ago. The emergence of Malcolm Floyd, and to a lesser extent Legedu Naanee, apparently has them feeling comfortable about the wide receiver position.

That being said, methinks Norv Turner and Philip Rivers wish they had the talents of #83 back in September. If they did, maybe they wouldn’t be 2-5. At least Jackson was reliable (missed one game since 2007). You can’t say the same about Floyd and Naanee, who are both currently sidelined with injuries.

Source: NFL.com