Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson told reporters Monday after cleaning out his Novacare Complex locker that he hopes for a restructured contract this offseason.
For DeSean Jackson, 2013 was for all intents and purposes a contract year by virtue of the $10 million salary that kicks in next year and the wide receiver made it clear Monday he hopes to restructure that deal.
Jackson is coming off his best season as a professional, hauling in 82 receptions for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns while also playing a role on special teams as a punt returner as well.
Jackson signed a five-year, $48.25341 million contract extension in March of 2012 that included a $10 million signing bonus. He earned $6.75 million this past year and is scheduled to earn base salaries of $10.25 million in 2014 and $9.75 million in both 2015 and 2016, along with $250,000 workout bonuses each year.
Jackson is due $30.5 million over the next three years in base salary and workout bonuses but not including incentive bonuses.
Now, nearly two years after agreeing to that contract, Jackson hopes to rip up that deal in favor of a deal that pays him more in guarantees rather than emphasizing bonuses.
“I definitely feel it’s something deserving,” Jackson said at his locker in the NovaCare Complex on locker cleanout day. “We’ll see how that plays out, and hopefully we can work things out smoothly and not have to worry about anything out of the ordinary.
“But I definitely feel like it’s deserving. I’m proven in this league, and after this past year, went out there, no distractions, and just really put it all in for my team and went out there and had a lot of success, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Jackson is hoping that this is a process that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and the front office is amenable to and can get to work on in short order.
“Honestly, I feel very confident that my agent will work something out,” Jackson said. “I feel like I have a great agent, that’s what he’s for, that’s what his job is, all I have to really worry about is staying out of trouble and keeping my nose clean and doing the things I need to do, working on my craft and playing football.
“I think this year was a big statement for my team and for myself and the things we were able to accomplish and do. I definitely feel it’s deserving. Hopefully we can get it worked out and see how it goes.”
After moving to fourth in franchise history for receiving yards after his sixth season, Jackson thinks that it's time to collect on those accomplishments.
“As far as my deal, it was a good deal,” he said. “I’m going into the third year of my deal. Just feel it’s deserving. So we’ll see.
“I feel like I’ve proved everything on the field. To do some of the things that top receivers in this league do, I think like I’m right there at the top. So we’ll see how it goes.”
It will certainly be interesting to see how this process plays out in the coming days, weeks and months ahead in an offseason where the Eagles will likely look to upgrade the receiving corps as a whole.
Riley Cooper is set to be a free agent as is Jeremy Maclin who missed the entire season with a torn ACL suffered in the first week of training camp over the summer and a guaranteed raise for Jackson may or may not be in the offing.
Head coach Chip Kelly refused to discuss Jackson's situation in his final press conference of the season.
"I don't talk about contracts," Kelly said.
Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.
