Where Will Vincent Jackson Play in 2012?
Added on Mar 06, 2012 by Scott in
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For the first time in three years, the San Diego Chargers elected not to use their franchise tag on wide receiver Vincent Jackson, thus making him a free agent on March 15th, unless he’s signed to a long-term deal prior to that date. Should he hit the open market, expect several suitors, including the Chargers, to show interest. Which teams have the most pressing need and best chance to land him? Let’s take a look.
San Diego – The contentious relationship between Jackson and general manager A.J. Smith could be the biggest obstacle in him returning. With Antonio Gates’ age and injury history, and Malcolm Floyd’s inconsistency, the Chargers would be wise to make their best pitch to bring him back. However, they might not be able to match what other franchises offer.
New England – Even before the 2011 season ended with the Super Bowl loss, Jackson was linked to Bill Belichick’s Patriots. Considering the lack of speed on the outside, a big play threat is definitely a hole that must be filled. Ochocinco was a bust, Deion Branch is old and Matthew Slater is just a guy. Adding Vinnie would make an already explosive offense close to unstoppable. The rest of the league better hope this doesn’t happen.
Jacksonville – Quick, name the Jags leading pass catcher in 2011? If you said Mike Thomas, give yourself a gold star. His 44 receptions for 415 yards topped one of the league’s worst offenses. To put that in perspective, Saints running back Pierre Thomas totaled 425 yards receiving, which ranked seventh on the team. It’s highly unlikely Jackson would pick Jacksonville, but they’d be stupid not to at least make him an offer.
Chicago – If any team is desperate to land a big name wide receiver, it’s the Bears. Roy Williams was a flop, Devin Hester can’t play the position and Johnny Knox’s career is probably over. Breaking the bank to give Jay Cutler a legitimate downfield threat just makes sense. With Green Bay and Detroit piling up points every week, Chicago must upgrade their offensive weapons.
Seattle – Not having stability at quarterback makes the Seahawks a longshot in the Jackson sweepstakes, but they need to do something at wide receiver. Doug Baldwin, Ben Obomanu, Golden Tate and an injury-prone Sidney Rice don’t exactly strike fear into opponents.
St. Louis – The Rams seem poised to draft Oklahoma State stud Justin Blackmon with their first-round pick, so spending big bucks in free agency on a wideout probably isn’t a priority. That said, Sam Bradford could use as much talent as possible to improve a dreadful offense.
San Francisco – The Braylon Edwards experiment failed miserably. Michael Crabtree is s decent number two receiver, but would be better with speed on the other side. Alex Smith is still Alex Smith, meaning unpredictable. However, the league’s best defense and a weak division might be enough to attract Jackson.
Washington – Daniel Snyder is no stranger to waving cash around in March. Santana Moss and Jabar Gaffney are past their prime. Leonard Hankerson and Niles Paul are works in progress. Like Jacksonville and Seattle, the lack of an elite quarterback might steer Vinnie in another direction, although money talks in free agency and the ‘Skins always have plenty to spend.
