As you probably know, Vincent Jackson is holding out for a bigger and better contract from the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers have been unwilling to give him the money he wants, and gave him one-year, $3.268 million tender. This wasn't enough for Vincent. To me, that is very reasonable. He had already give the Chargers five years of his rookie contract, and he definitely outplayed it, having back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons. He also reached his first Pro Bowl last year.
By not signing the tender, he was trying to tell the Chargers that he wished for an extended contract, with more value. The Chargers refused to budge, and the result was a lot less money for Jackson. By rule, the next highest tender he could receive was that of 110% of his salary for the previous year. That puts his current offer at $600,000, well below the money he could have received for the season. This is where the real holdout comes into play.
You see, Jackson began the season with a three-game suspension as a result of a DUI. That was probably a factor in the Chargers' decision not to sign him for a larger sum or for more years. They were making reasonable decisions; after all, why give a guy a lot of money when he's already missing a few games this year?
However, this holdout turned out for the worse for everyone involved. Jackson soon became sour and welcomed a trade. According to his agent, a trade with another team involving a restructure contract had been agreed to. However, the Chargers were asking "too high" for Jackson, and the trade was nixed. In my opinion, a second-round choice for a young wide receiver with great statistics over the last year is a wonderful trade. But to the other team involved, the Chargers asking for a second-rounder was too much. Understandable, as the team probably has other aspiritions for its upcoming draft. But it only turned the situation worse.
Since the Chargers were asking for a lot for Jackson, no one wanted to pull the trigger on a deal. And yesterday at 4 PM, the deadline for Jackson expired. Jackson had to sign a deal with another team before then to avoid being on the roster-exempt list and to play following his three-game suspension. But now he will have to serve another three-game suspension on top of the current suspension if he does happen to sign with another team. That makes the likelihood of a trade substantially lower than it had been, meaning he's all but stuck for the season.
Jackson makes a great point. He was quoted as saying, "I just don't understand why (a trade wasn't completed). They obviously think I'm a valuable player by asking for such high trade compensation, but why am I only offered tender salary?"
The truth is there. The Chargers want a lot for him, but don't want to pay a lot to let him play. I think that they are making a big mistake. In a division where they probably need a great receiver for their exceptional QB to throw to, they are left with Malcom Floyd as their best wide receiver. Floyd is essentially a lesser version of Mike Wallace of the Steelers. He has a remarkable upside and his best years are yet to come, but he would be fantastic as a No.3 and not so fantastic as a starter, let alone the No.1.
Now the Chargers are left without a man who has helped them win, and that man is left without a team, and probably without football for all of 2010. The Chargers were being frugal with this one. Jackson's best hope is to stay in shape, practice on his own, and roll with the new CBA next year or the year after, if an agreement is not met and results in a lockout for the 2011 season.
If you want to know more about the potential of a lockout next season, I'll be giving my thoughts on that subject either today or tomorrow.
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