Thanks to his lengthy holdout (and ensuing three-game suspension) Vincent Jackson did not catch a pass for the 2010 Chargers until Week 14. Overall, San Diego’s offense was still prolific despite the absence of its most lethal vertical playmaker. But nevertheless, the 28-year-old Jackson is key to the Chargers’ aerial attack moving forward.
Hence, general manager A.J. Smith slapped Jackson with the team’s 2011 franchise tag. The tag delivers Jackson a one-year deal that guarantees upwards of $10 million. That’s roughly $7 million more than the initial RFA tender he was stuck with last season.
But if Jackson still wants a long-term contract with a fat signing bonus up front (and we’ll assume he does), he’ll have to wait. Again.
“Vincent’s a good player and he’s always been a good player, which I’ve said repeatedly,” Smith told Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I’m comfortable with not giving him a long-term deal right now and we are not negotiating a long-term deal. We’ll see how the year goes, but not at the present time.”
As Jackson learned last year, when Smith says he’s not negotiating, he’s not negotiating. So why this position for the curmudgeonly GM?
Smith could be keeping Jackson in a one-year deal because he doesn’t trust the receiver’s off-field maturity (Jackson has had multiple DUI arrests in his career). Or, more likely, he could be thinking that with a quarterback like Philip Rivers, wide receivers are more dispensable. This in mind, don’t be surprised if the Chargers draft a wideout in one of the early rounds this April.
For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsnfl on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS Feed.
