Earlier in the off-season, young receiver DeSean Jackson was expected to request the Eagles for a new contract that would increase his salary. Though the team has spent some money signing new players like cornerback Marlin Jackson and inking trade acquisitions like defensive tackle Darryl Tapp to long-term deals, a new contract for Jackson has yet to come. In fact, the two year veteran of the league is not expected to receive one for quite a while.

The Philadelphia Daily News network has reported that the new rules put into place as a result of the unresolved Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations will make it difficult for teams, including the Eagles, to lock up players with extensions of their previous payment structures.

With the way that he has produced on the field, Jackson seems pretty worthy of a new contract, especially since his rookie deal was only worth an estimated $3.47 million over four seasons. This past year, he eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark while also shining on special teams and earning a trip to the Pro-Bowl contest.

Jackson said this in January regarding his desire for a new contract:

“It would be great. I’m just going to train hard and work hard and enjoy myself right now. I’ll let [my agent] Drew [Rosenhaus] be the aggressive one and I’ll just sit back and handle what I can do.”

– Philadelphia wide receiver DeSean Jackson

Early in the free agency period, the Eagles secured fullback Leonard Weaver and wide receiver Jason Avant for the long-term future with new contracts, but it appears that the CBA guidelines suggest players with low salaries are not to be given ludicrous raises in their earnings. This has made it hard for Philadelphia to seriously consider giving Jackson what he wants; the same can be said for the Tennessee Titans, who are sure to be hearing requests for a big contract from young running back sensation Chris Johnson, but cannot really dish out a new deal to him with ease because of his previously low-salary contract.

“Signing bonuses are exempt from the 30 percent restriction, which means the Eagles could theoretically solve the problem by giving him an enormous signing bonus. But teams are reluctant to do that because of the language in the CBA restricting forfeiture of signing bonuses if a player gets into Michael Vick-like or Plaxico Burress-like trouble.

According to the CBA, signing bonus forfeitures are limited to cases of holdouts or retirement. It further limits any forfeiture to 25 percent of the total. Last year, NFL special master Stephen Burbank, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, ruled in the Burress case that a player can violate behavior clauses in his contract and still be paid bonus money.”

–Paul Domowitch, Philly.com

No matter the amount of controversy or speculation that builds upon this certain situation, the Eagles are likely to extend Jackson at some point in time. After all, they are known for being one of the top teams in the league, in terms of ones that lock up young studs early in their careers for a price that is agreeable to both the organization and the player(s). The receiver will simply have to be patient, and he will probably get that big pay day sooner or later.

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