What Is DeSean’s Worth?

DeSean Jackson is seeking a new contract  with three years of very good production. In terms of statistics, he is one of the best young receivers in NFL history. Only three players in NFL history have ever had more receiving yards before their 24th birthday - Randy Moss (4,765), David Boston (3,227) and Larry Fitzgerald (3,135). Jackson is one of eight players in NFL history to have topped 900 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons. The metrics won’t favor DeSean because he is boom or bust at the receiver spot, but his effect on the way defenses play the Eagles is undeniable. And his impact isn’t just as a receiver, he is already the best punt returner in franchise history.

In an attempt to figure out just how much DeSean will be paid, I’ll look at contracts of other big time NFL receivers and their three seasons prior to their extension or new contract and their age and years pro at the time of extension. Here are DeSean’s numbers:

Now look at his numbers in comparison to Santonio Holmes’, Sidney Rice’s, Brandon Marshall’s, Andre Johnson’s, Anquan Boldin’s, Miles Austin’s, Roddy White’s and Greg Jennings’, all of whom have received contract extensions in the past 2 years.

The Santonio Holmes contract: 

 Signed a five-year, $50 million contract. The deal contains $24 million guaranteed.

The Sidney Rice contract: 

Signed a five-year, $41 million contract. The deal contains $18.5 million guaranteed.

The Brandon Marshall contract:

Signed a five-year, $47.3 million contract. The deal contains $12.5 million guaranteed, including a $5.5 million signing bonus.

The Anquan Boldin Contract

Signed a four-year, $28 million contract. The deal includes $10 million guaranteed.

The Andre Johnson Extension

Signed a seven-year, $62.7 million contract. The deal contains $48 million guaranteed, including a $2.8 million signing bonus.

The Miles Austin Contract

Signed a seven-year, $57.168 million contract. The cap-conscious deal contains $18 million guaranteed

The Greg Jennings Contract

Signed a four-year, $26.885 million contract. The cap-friendly deal (after 2009) contains $16.25 million guaranteed

The Roddy White Contract

Signed a six-year, $48 million contract. The deal contains $18.6 million guaranteed, including a $6 million signing bonus

DeSean has to be looking at the contracts that were given to Santonio Holmes, Sidney Rice, Miles Austin and Roddy White and licking his chops. When you compare DeSean’s three years prior to his (pending) extension to the three years prior to the extension of Holmes, Rice, Miles and White,  DeSean had outproduced all of them by a significant amount, was the youngest of the group and been to more pro bowls.

Brandon Marshall and Andre Johnson are going to get more than DeSean got and you can see why, they were better receivers. At the time of the contract signing I feel like Anquan Boldin, Greg Jennings and Roddy White all have similar enough numbers to DeSean to guess that his contract will be somewhere in the ball park, but two things threw a wrench into this. The first wrench thrown into the gears was DeSean Jackson as a football player rather than just as a receiver, as an all purpose football player he has about 500 yards more than the next closest receiver and his TD production when you factor in rushes and returns matches up with the TD production of Brandon Marshall and Andre Johnson. What, or I should say, who else threw a wrench into things? Jerry Jones. That monster contract he gave Miles Austin after one year of production really drove DeSean’s price up IMO. DeSean is going to look at Miles Austin’s contract, see a guy who has one year of production, was older than him and got a contract comparable to ones that Andre Johnson and Brandon Marshall received. DeSean out produced Miles by a landslide when you look at their numbers at the time they were seeking extensions.

If you figure that DeSean is going to get a contract similar to what these guys got because he is a similar caliber of receiver then you can guesstimate that DeSean Jackson is due for a 5 year, 42 million dollar contract with about 22 million guaranteed in cash.

Now why would he be getting less than Santonio and just a little bit more than Sidney Rice? Well for starters he isn’t in the same situation those two were in. Both Santonio and Rice were free agents which gave them far more leverage in negotiations. Also his size and injury history (2 concussions in the past 2 years, grade 2 MCL sprain in playoff game) bring his price down a bit. Also while DeSean has been utilized more effectively and produce more than Santonio and Rice, his skill set isn’t as complete and the Eagles recognize that. DeSean isn’t a great underneath receiver, he doesn’t go over the middle much, he isn’t a reliable #1 (boom or bust, look at his low catch percentage) and he is inconsistent from week to week. DeSean is a great player that is incredibly dynamic but the Eagles know he has flaws and they’re master negotiators so I don’t think they’ll be stuck with a Miles Austin type contract. Although I could be wrong and Drew Roshenhaus could come away with a monster contract. But either way, DeSean is going to be an Eagle for years to come.

Related Posts :

The First Splash Cartoon Of The Season

So you drafted Michael Brockers.

Some Thoughts On The Eagles Free Agent Signin...

Twitter