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The dream is over in Kansas City. The KC Chiefs are no longer in on the DeSean Jackson according to a number of national (NFL Network) and local (Herbie Teope) reports. Frustrating news for those Chiefs fans who wanted one of the league's most dynamic playmakers on an offense in need of dynamic playmakers.
We went over all the reasons yesterday Jackson in KC was a great fit. There's no denying that. It made a lot of sense. Jackson was released on Friday and the Chiefs were said to be one of the teams interested in him. By Saturday evening that interest was reportedly dead.
Now that it's not going to happen, I'm not going to act like I didn't want him. Because I did. Still do. He'll make his next team better.
A few reactions....
Andy Reid's lack of interest
A lot of people are going to look at Andy Reid's lack of interest now and conclude Jackson is some sort of bad risk because of that, which is unfortunate for him (and probably unfortunate for those teams who declined to sign him). The Chiefs were obviously interested in him the last couple days assuming those initial reports were accurate. The Jets with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who coached Jackson in Philly through 2012, are not interested in Jackson, according to reports. But we're not about to start using the Jets as an example of a team who makes rational decisions, right? Others can disagree but I don't think the Chiefs and Jets lack of interest should mean that much ... because they did show interest.
The money
The Chiefs have $4.5 million in cap space so any contract talks would've been tight. They could've made it happen (the Redskins, his first visit, only have $6.8 million) if they were willing to make sacrifices elsewhere. Perhaps Jackson's value is so high among other teams that the Chiefs just couldn't get in at that price. Or maybe the Chiefs know Dan Snyder in Washington D.C. -- Jackson's first free agent visit -- is going to break the bank. Adding a player making $7-9 million per year (my guess) has ripples down the organization.
Receiver in the NFL Draft
The Chiefs need for a receiver to stretch the field remains. One of the pluses of potentially signing Jackson was that the Chiefs wouldn't have to pick a receiver in the first round. This opens up the best player available option even more. With Jackson out of the picture, receiver rears back as one of the most likely picks for the Chiefs in round one. Odell Beckham Jr., Marqise Lee and Brandin Cooks are back in the picture.
So who will sign him?
At last check, reports had the interest up to nine teams (which includes the Chiefs, who are now out). The Raiders have more than $18 million in cap space and were interested in him before. Jackson is from the area. The 49ers have been floated as a possibility, which would make for a nasty offense.
Staying in the NFC East with the Redskins also makes a ton of sense. The money will be there, you know that. That's the most important thing. The other is RGIII. Among young players in the game, I suspect RGIII and his future is still a big draw. There's also the chance to play the Eagles twice a year, which has to be enticing.
This changes every minute, but it looks like the Raiders and Redskins are the early leaders.