Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR DeSean Jackson.
The Las Vegas Raiders are getting some much-needed reinforcements at the wide receiver position in DeSean Jackson. The three-time Pro Bowler was recently released by the Los Angeles Rams, which gave the Raiders the chance to sign him. The team needs a deep threat and Jackson will provide that despite the fact that he’s 34-year-sold.
This far into the season, the Raiders aren’t flush with cap space. Luckily, they didn’t need to break the bank to land Jackson. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the wide receiver will be paid $1 million for the rest of the season.
That’s not a bad payday for Jackson as the Raiders will be paying him over the minimum. He was once a pricey player but at 34, he wasn’t going to get a much better deal. Las Vegas should just be happy that they were able to find a dependable deep threat. Jackson isn’t going to give the Raiders the elite production that he was able to give teams several years ago but he can still run and his experience will be a welcome addition to a young wide receiver corps.
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Mike Mayock Talks Jackson Signing
Getty DeSean Jackson stiff arms Robert Alford of the Cardinals during the Rams’ Week 4 loss.
The Raiders were hoping they wouldn’t need to worry about finding a deep threat at wide receiver for the next decade when they drafted Henry Ruggs in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. That was until Ruggs was involved in a fatal car crash on November 3, which led to his release from the team. Jackson isn’t a long-term replacement but was the best option available to the Raiders.
General manager Mike Mayock had a chance to talk about what went into the signing.
“He signed his contract a little while ago. He’s a Raider,” Mayock told reporters. “He’s kind of a Bay Area kid, as you all know he went to Cal. He told us point-blank in our zoom call the other day he’d look pretty good in the Silver & Black.”
Jackson grew up in Los Angeles, California, and played college ball at the University of California, Berkeley, so he’s very familiar with the Raiders. He should fit in well with the team.
Rich Bisaccia Says Raiders Are Excited to Have Jackson
Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia suffered the first loss of his career against the New York Giants and a big reason the team lost was the lack of a deep threat. The hope is that Jackson solves that problem for the rest of the season. Bisaccia is excited to have him on the team.
“I think we all have a lot of respect for his career and what he’s done, and I can remember him coming out,” Bisaccia told reporters. “So, we are excited about getting another speed element out there to be a complement to what we are trying to do on offense, certainly with the speed that Zay [Jones] has and what Bryan [Edwards] and Hunter [Renfrow] bring to us.”
It remains to be seen just how much of a role Jackson will have this season. At the very least, he’ll be a deep threat that defenses have to worry about.
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