DeSean Jackson said late Monday night that he had spoken with Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, but Wednesday Kelly did not offer any affirmation that Jackson would be on the team in 2014. (Image courtesy of SI.com)
Wednesday represented Chip Kelly's best chance to put an end to the ongoing DeSean Jackson saga, but the head coach chose to keep speculation at the forefront.
“I like DeSean,” Kelly said Wednesday morning at the annual coaches breakfast during the NFL's owner meetings. “DeSean did a really nice job for us. But we’re always going to do what’s best for the organization.”
And so, the soap opera continues.
For the second time in three weeks, Kelly could have put his foot down and supported Jackson and the six-year receiver's place on the NFL's second-rated offense of a year ago and for the second time he elected not to.
Many believed that when DeSean Jackson tweeted a photo of himself and Kelly Tuesday along with a caption that gave hope that he would be returning in 2014. Kelly wasn't so committal.
“My conversation with DeSean is between myself and DeSean,” Kelly said.
“I’ve talked to DeSean and I just think when you deal with situations like that, everything we do is player-to-player, player-to-coach,” Kelly said. “We had a good conversation and we’re always going to do what’s best for the football team, and he knows where we are and I know where he is.”
The Eagles have been actively shopping Jackson for the past several weeks according to multiple sources as well as published reports that point to the team not being pleased that the enigmatic receiver pined for a new deal just 48 hours after losing to the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the playoffs in January and two years after inking a new extension.
At issue for the Eagles is Jackson's $12.5 million cap number in 2014 and his at times inconsistent performances during big games against some of the league's tougher opponents in recent years.
Kelly did admit Wednesday that for all of the speculation, Jackson has not approached either himself or general manager Howie Roseman about wanting a new deal.
It seems as though this situation will be fluid until either the Eagles find a trade partner, release Jackson or he is a member of the team when training camp rolls around in July.
