DeSean William Jackson (born December 1, 1986) is an
American football wide receiver for the
Baltimore Ravens of the
National Football League (NFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...
, where he was recognized as a consensus
All-American in 2006 and 2007. He was drafted by the
Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...
, and has also played for the
Washington Redskins,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
. Jackson has been selected to the
Pro Bowl three times, and was the first player selected to the Pro Bowl at two different positions in the same year when he was named to the
2010 Pro Bowl
The 2010 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site ...
as a wide receiver and
return specialist.
Early life
Jackson was born in
Los Angeles, California, and grew up in the
Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles. He attended
Long Beach Polytechnic High School, the same high school as future Philadelphia Eagles teammate
Winston Justice
Winston Frederick Justice (born September 14, 1984) is a former American football offensive tackle. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round (39th overall pick) of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at USC.
Cu ...
and many other current NFL players. He became one of the top wide receiver recruits in the nation, with many collegiate football programs pursuing his services. He was named the 2004
Glenn Davis Award winner by the ''
Los Angeles Times'' as Southern California's player of the year. He also ran track and played baseball and was scouted by both the
Tampa Bay Rays and
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
in his senior year.
In track, he was timed at 10.5 seconds in the
100 meters
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...
.
Jackson caught 60 passes for 1,075 yards for 15 touchdowns his senior year, leading the Jackrabbits to a
CIF Southern Section championship. He was pressed into service last minute as a
defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
in the section title game against
Los Alamitos High School, responding with two interceptions, one which he returned 68 yards for a touchdown to help fuel Long Beach Poly's 21–6 victory.
To cap off his high school career, Jackson was voted the
Most Valuable Player
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
at the
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...
in
San Antonio, Texas, where he caught seven passes for 141 yards and passed for a 45-yard touchdown in leading the West to a 35–3 victory in a game that featured 80 of the nation's top players. However, he was also involved in an embarrassing play when he attempted to somersault from the five-yard line for a touchdown, but landed on the one-yard line, leaving the football there. ''
ESPN.coms Tom Lemming rated him as the number four wide receiver in the country, ''
PrepStar Magazine'' named him an All-American and a member of its Dream Team Top 100 players, and Calhisports.com voted him the 2004 Mr. Football State Player of the Year. He committed to the football program at the
University of California, Berkeley under Coach
Jeff Tedford, making his announcement on Southern California's
FSN West
Bally Sports West is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operated as part of Bally Sports, along with its sister network Bally ...
. Jackson waited until the deadline to choose between scholarship offers for California and the
University of Southern California.
College career
Jackson attended the
University of California, where he played for the
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football program represents the University of California, Berkeley in college football as a member of the Pac-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division I FBS level. The team plays its home games at Californi ...
team from 2005 to 2007. Wearing the number 1, in his first collegiate game against
Sacramento State in
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, he scored both an offensive and special teams touchdown, returning a punt 49 yards for a score. Throughout his freshman season, Jackson picked up 38 receptions for 601 yards along with seven touchdowns, eclipsing the 100-yard mark three times. In the
2005 Las Vegas Bowl
The 2005 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl was the 14th edition of the annual college football bowl game. It featured the California Golden Bears and the BYU Cougars.
Game summary
Cal scored first on a 3-yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch to ta ...
game against
BYU, Jackson tallied 130 yards and two scores. Jackson was also expected to play for
Cal's baseball team but, due to the success of his freshman football season, he chose to focus exclusively on football.
Coming into his sophomore year with high expectations, Jackson displayed more of his talent and playmaking ability, tallying 1,060 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Jackson also returned four punts for touchdowns. He earned first-team All-
Pac-10
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
honors as both a punt returner and a wide receiver. Jackson garnered national recognition with selections to first-team
All-America by the ''
Associated Press'',
Walter Camp Football Foundation, the
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...
, the ''
Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'', and ''
Rivals.com'' as a punt returner. Jackson also captured the inaugural Randy Moss Award as the top returner in the nation. In one of only two California losses in Pac-10 play, Jackson had a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown against
Arizona.
Jackson entered his junior season being considered a
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
candidate. His season began promisingly, with a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown against
Tennessee in the opening game of the season.
Against eleventh-ranked
Oregon, he caught 11 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bears to their first victory in
Autzen Stadium
Autzen Stadium is an outdoor American football, football stadium in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, in Eugene, Oregon. Located north of the University of Oregon campus, it is the home field of the Oregon Ducks football, Oregon Du ...
since 1987. Jackson finished the
2007 season with 65 catches for 762 yards, and scored six touchdowns as a receiver. Jackson was named an
All-American as a return specialist.
Jackson suffered several minor injuries that limited his effectiveness at times during the season, along with a right
thigh injury that forced him to miss most of the game against
Washington and the
Big Game against
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
. He also missed the first quarter of the
2007 Armed Forces Bowl
The 2007 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the California Golden Bears and the Air Force Falcons played on December 31, 2007, at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. The ...
for violating undisclosed team rules.
Jackson left Cal following the 2007 season and declared for the
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...
. He departed holding
Pac-10
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
records for punts returned for a touchdown both in a season (four) and in a career (six). Jackson ranks third all-time at California for receiving yards with 2,423 and receiving touchdowns with 22. He is sixth in receptions (162). Jackson finished with 52 career plays of 20 yards or more, making up 23 percent of his 226 touches.
Professional career
Going to the
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...
, Jackson was considered one of the top 10 wide receivers available in a draft class with many talented wide outs.
The only knock on Jackson was his small frame, being measured at 5'9¾ " and just over 170 pounds. During the pre-draft period, Hall of Fame wide receiver
Jerry Rice was quoted saying that Jackson "has all the talent in the world. There's no reason he can't be everything he wants to be at the next level." At the 2008
NFL Combine, Jackson had an impressive showing, running an official 4.35 40-yard dash.
He performed well in positional drills, running routes fluidly, and catching passes very well displaying his well-known agility and quickness. He also posted a standing broad jump of 10 feet.
Philadelphia Eagles
2008 season
On April 26, 2008, Jackson was drafted in the second round (49th overall) of the
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...
by the
Philadelphia Eagles. He was the seventh wide receiver taken, the first time no wide receivers were drafted in the first round. On July 20, he agreed to terms on a four-year contract with the team.
Jackson had a good preseason performance, which included a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
in the third preseason game. After the Eagles' roster was cut to its maximum 53-man limit for the season, he was listed as the starting punt returner and as a second-string wide receiver.
Due to injuries sustained by
Kevin Curtis and
Reggie Brown Reggie Brown may refer to:
*Reggie Brown (American football coach) (1876–1961), American college football coach at Boston University from 1926–1929
*Reginald J. Brown (1940–2005), U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affa ...
, Jackson was the first rookie to start opening day for head coach
Andy Reid. On September 7, Jackson collected six catches for 106 yards in a 38–3 win over the
St. Louis Rams. He also returned eight punts for a total of 97 yards, including a 60-yard punt return to set up a field goal. He had over 200 all-purpose yards, a record for a rookie wide receiver. During a ''
Monday Night Football'' game against the
Dallas Cowboys on September 15, Jackson celebrated prematurely before running into the end zone by flipping the football behind him at the one-yard line. This led to what would have otherwise been his first NFL touchdown to be challenged and overturned, with
Brian Westbrook running in for a touchdown from the one-yard line on the next play. The Eagles lost the game to Dallas 41-37. Jackson finished the game with 110 yards on six receptions, becoming the only receiver in NFL history to have over 100 yards receiving in each of his first two games besides the Eagles'
Don Looney in
1940
A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*January ...
.
On September 28, Jackson recorded his first offensive touchdown against the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
. During this game, he also fumbled a punt return that set up the Bears' go ahead score. The following week against the
Washington Redskins on October 5, Jackson returned his first punt return for a touchdown 68 yards. Jackson scored his first rushing touchdown on November 9 on a direct snap in the
wildcat formation with a nine-yard run against the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. A rematch against the Giants on December 7 which resulted in a 20-14 upset of the defending Super Bowl champions marked the first time in the season that Jackson did not have a reception. The following week, Jackson rebounded, recording 77 yards on five catches in a 30–10 victory over the
Cleveland Browns. In the playoffs, Jackson recorded just 1 catch for 34 yards in the Eagles' wildcard victory over Minnesota, and four catches for 81 yards in a win over the New York Giants. Jackson's final touchdown of the season came in the
NFC Championship game
The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
on January 18, 2009 against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, when he managed to haul in a 62-yard touchdown to cap a six-catch, 92-yard game. Jackson narrowly finished second to Curtis in postseason receiving yards with 207 to Curtis's 211.
Jackson finished a successful rookie season with two receiving touchdowns and a team-leading 62 receptions (the most by an Eagles rookie wide-receiver, second only to
tight end Keith Jackson
Keith Max Jackson (October 18, 1928 – January 12, 2018) was an American sports commentator, journalist, author, and radio personality, known for his career with ABC Sports (1966–2006). While he covered a variety of sports over his career ...
's 81 in 1988, and joining Jackson and Don Looney as the only Eagles to lead the team in receptions their rookie seasons). His 912 receiving yards surpassed Keith Jackson's rookie record of 869. He also led the NFL with 50 punt returns (an Eagles' rookie record and 3rd all time) for 440 yards (third in the NFL, fifth ever by an Eagle, and an Eagles' rookie record).
2009 season
In Week 1 against the
Carolina Panthers, Jackson had his second punt return for an 85-yard touchdown, the second longest in Eagles history. The following week,
Kevin Kolb threw his first career touchdown pass to Jackson against the
New Orleans Saints for 71 yards. Jackson had 149 receiving yards against the
Kansas City Chiefs on September 27 which included a 64-yard touchdown reception. Against the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
on October 17 he caught six receptions for 94 yards, including a 51-yard diving fingertips catch, in a 13–9 loss.
Jackson caught a 57-yard touchdown pass from
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb (born November 25, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before his NFL career, he played football and b ...
that gave McNabb his 200th career touchdown and 30,000th career passing yards on October 26 against the
Washington Redskins on ''
Monday Night Football''. He also scored his first rushing touchdown of the season on a 67-yard
reverse. Jackson injured his right foot during the game and had an x-ray during halftime, but returned to play during the third quarter. He was later named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
In a Week 11 matchup on ''
Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football may refer to:
* ''NBC Sunday Night Football'', the Sunday night broadcast of American NFL games by NBC since 2006
* ''ESPN Sunday Night Football'', the Sunday night broadcast of American NFL games from 1987 to 2005 by ESPN
* ...
'' against the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
, Jackson caught eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown as the Eagles won a close game, 24-20. On November 29 against the Redskins, Jackson had to leave the game after sustaining a concussion after a helmet-to-helmet hit by
linebacker London Fletcher. Jackson recorded two receptions, including a 35-yard touchdown. Jackson missed the next game due to his concussion, but returned on December 13 against the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. Jackson had a career day, as he caught six passes for 178 yards including a 60-yard touchdown pass from McNabb and a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown (combined for 261 all purpose yards). The game would also put him at eight touchdowns of over 50 yards in a single season, tying an NFL record shared only by
Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch and
Devin Hester. For his performance against the Giants, Jackson was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
The following week against the
San Francisco 49ers, Jackson went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season with 140 receiving yards, including a 19-yard touchdown reception as the Eagles clinched a playoff berth.
On December 27, he had four catches for 33 yards and a two-yard touchdown, his shortest touchdown of the season, in a win against the
Denver Broncos.
Jackson was nearly shut down by the
Dallas Cowboys in the regular season finale, with only two passes for 36 yards in a 24–0 rout of the Eagles. In a rematch the following week on January 3, 2010 against the Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Game, he was held by Dallas to three catches for 14 yards, including a six-yard touchdown pass in the 34–14 loss.
Jackson ended the season as the Eagles' leading receiver with 1,167 yards. He was selected to the
2010 Pro Bowl
The 2010 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site ...
as a starting wide receiver and a kick returner, the first time in Pro Bowl history that a player was selected at two different positions. At the Pro Bowl, Jackson caught six passes for a team-high 101 yards and two touchdowns, including a 58-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass from McNabb. He was selected to the ''Sporting News
All-Pro team as a punt returner for the 2009 season, averaging 15.2 yards per punt return in 2009 as the league leader.
2010 season
After skipping voluntary camp in the spring, Jackson reported to training camp earlier than most veterans. However, he was not speaking to the media and was said to be frustrated about how the Eagles are unwilling to negotiate a contract extension with him. Jackson was carted off the field after he suffered a back injury during the second full team workout of training camp on July 31, but the injury was not serious.
In a 35–32 victory over the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
, Jackson had 135 receiving yards and a 45-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass. The following week against the
Jacksonville Jaguars, Jackson caught a 61-yard touchdown and finished the game with five receptions for 153 yards. However, on October 3 and 10, Jackson caught only five passes for 43 total yards. He scored a pair of touchdowns on October 17 against the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
, one on a 31-yard run and the second on a 34-yard reception from
Kevin Kolb. During the game, he sustained a severe concussion after a collision with Atlanta cornerback
Dunta Robinson, with both players assisted from the field. Jackson returned to play on November 7 against the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
.
On November 15, after an altercation with
LaRon Landry, Jackson caught a then career long 88-yard touchdown pass from
Michael Vick on the first play from scrimmage while Landry was covering him in 59-28 a ''
Monday Night Football'' victory against the
Washington Redskins. He surpassed this on December 12 when he had a 91-yard touchdown against the
Dallas Cowboys and also finished the game with a personal best 210 receiving yards. Jackson again ended the regular season as the team's leading receiver with 1,056 yards. He was ranked 29th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.
=Miracle at the New Meadowlands
=
On December 19, 2010, Jackson
returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown to lead the Eagles to a win against the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
in the final 14 seconds of the game. The Eagles had trailed 31-10 with under eight minutes to play but had come back with three unanswered touchdowns. With 14 seconds left, the game was tied at 31-31 and Jackson received the punt. He fumbled at first, but then picked it up and ran 65 yards for the score, running parallel to the goal line when he reached it in order to wind out the time.
This punt return is the first and only game-winning punt return on the final play from scrimmage in the history of the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
.
2011 season
On July 28, 2011, Jackson failed to report to Eagles' training camp at
Lehigh University in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania as required in his contract. His agent,
Drew Rosenhaus
Drew Jordan Rosenhaus (born October 29, 1966) is an American sports agent who represents professional football players. He owns the Miami-based sports agency Rosenhaus Sports, and has negotiated over $7 billion of NFL contracts.
Early life an ...
, offered no immediate explanation for his absence. Jackson faced fines of $30,000-a-day until he reported to camp. His deadline to report was August 9 or he would have lost a year of service time toward free agency. Jackson's holdout ended on August 8 when he reported to training camp. On November 13, in a game against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, Jackson was deactivated for missing a
special teams meeting. The following week in a matchup against the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, Jackson flipped the ball at New York defensive coordinator
Perry Fewell after making a 50-yard reception and was flagged for taunting, drawing a $10,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct. In a November 27 loss to the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, he was benched for the entire fourth quarter after a performance that included drops of two potential touchdown passes. Jackson ended the season as the Eagles' leading receiver with 961 yards. He also had the lowest total punt return yards of his career with 114 and did not return a punt for a touchdown during the 2011 season. He was ranked 71st by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2012
The NFL Top 100 Players of 2012 was the second season of the series. It ended with reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers being ranked #1, while Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning
Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is a former American football ...
.
2012 season
Jackson received the Eagles'
franchise tag on March 1, 2012. He was re-signed to a five-year contract worth up to $51 million on March 14. He had more than 100 yards receiving against Baltimore and New Orleans before fracturing his ribs in Week 12 against the
Carolina Panthers. In 11 games, he had 45 receptions for 700 yards; his 77-yard touchdown catch against New Orleans was the longest by an Eagles player that season.
2013 season
Jackson began the 2013 season with 104 yards against Washington, and followed this with career-bests in receptions yards (nine and 193) against San Diego. After a 132-yard game 5 (for which he won offensive player-of-the-week honors), he had his first career multiple-receiving-touchdown game against Tampa Bay. In week 14 against Minnesota, he again set new career marks with 10 receptions for 195 yards. On the year, he led the team with 82 receptions for 1,332 yards (4th and 2nd most by an Eagle in a season). Though this was statistically the best season of his career, and led to his third Pro Bowl selection, Jackson was released by the Eagles on March 28, 2014. He left the Eagles with the franchise's 4th most receiving yards (6,117), 8th most receptions (356), 9th most receiving touchdowns (32), and tied for the 3rd most 100+ receiving-yard games (20). He was ranked 63rd by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2014
The NFL Top 100 Players of 2014 was the fourth season in the series. It ended with reigning National Football League Most Valuable Player Award, NFL MVP Peyton Manning being ranked 1, while Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, Super Bowl MVP Ma ...
.
Washington Redskins
2014 season
On April 2, 2014, Jackson signed with the
Washington Redskins to a reported three-year, $24 million contract with $16 million guaranteed.
On September 14, 2014, Jackson suffered a bruised left shoulder against the
Jacksonville Jaguars and was forced to leave the game in the first half. Despite the injury, he would play the following week against Eagles in his return to Philadelphia. In the game, he scored an 81-yard touchdown pass from quarterback
Kirk Cousins. The jersey that Jackson wore in that game would be featured at the Pro Football Hall of Fame after he became the third player in NFL history to record an 80-yard touchdown both for and against a team. On October 17, 2014, Jackson was fined $16,537 for a horse-collar tackle on
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
safety
Rashad Johnson
Julian Rashad Johnson (born January 2, 1986) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama.
Early years
A native of Sulligent, Alaba ...
in Week 6. Jackson broke 100-yards receiving in six games that season, and ended with 56 receptions for a team-leading 1,169 and six touchdowns, and led the NFL for the second time in his career with 20.9 yards per catch. He was ranked 50th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2015
The NFL Top 100 Players of 2015 was the fifth season in the series. It ended with reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year J. J. Watt being ranked #1, thus marking the first year in the history of the countdown that the reigning NFL MVP was not ...
.
2015 season
On August 6, Jackson suffered a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined for most of pre-season training, and then injured a hamstring in the first quarter of the season opener against Miami. Jackson did not return until November 8, and even then saw limited duty over the remaining 10 games of the season. While injured, Jackson's home in
Tarzana, California was reportedly attacked and violently defended by guests while he was away. On December 20, Jackson caught a 77-yard touchdown pass from Cousins as part of his only 100 yard game of the season (6 catches for 153 yards). The next week, Jackson was booed by the Philadelphia crowd as he contributed to the Redskins' 38-24 division-clinching victory. He ended the season with 30 catches for 528 yards (career lows) and 4 touchdowns.
2016 season
Jackson appeared to return to form with 6 catches for 102 yards in a season-opening loss to the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. He caught at least one pass in each of the 16 games that season, though production was lower during the season's middle. In week 4, he was fined for wearing police caution tape on his shoes to protest the role of race in the American criminal justice system.
He went over 100 yards in four-out-of-five games late in the season, including 3 catches for 102 yards, and a go-ahead 80-yard touchdown against his former team on December 11 in Philadelphia. Following a 7-reception, 111-yard effort the next week, Jackson was fined a second time in the season for the color of his cleats.
Both he and teammate
Pierre Garçon reached 1,000 yards receiving in a season-finale loss to the Giants, becoming the first Redskins tandem since 1999 to achieve this feat, and also becoming the 7th and 8th Redskins in history with multiple 1,000 yard receiving seasons. He ended the year with 56 receptions for 1,005 yards and 4 touchdowns, leading the NFL for the third time with 17.9 yards per catch.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2017 season
On March 9, 2017, Jackson signed a three-year, $33.5 million contract with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On September 24, Jackson caught his first touchdown as a Buccaneer against the
Minnesota Vikings. On October 5, Jackson caught five passes for 106 yards in a 19-14 loss against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. Overall, in the 2017 season, he recorded 50 receptions for 668 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
2018 season
On September 9, 2018, Jackson caught five passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the season-opening 48-40 win over defending NFC South champions
New Orleans Saints. The performance was his second career game with two receiving touchdowns (58 and 36 yards), despite leaving the game with a concussion. His 58-yard touchdown reception was his 27th-career touchdown over 50 yards, which tied him for third most in NFL history, behind
Randy Moss (29) &
Jerry Rice (37). He also surpassed 100 yards in Week 2 against the
Philadelphia Eagles (129 yards and a touchdown) and Week 4 against the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
(112 yards), to enter Tampa Bay's bye-week seventh in the NFL in receiving yards and first in yards-per-reception at 24.9. His output significantly declined from this point, however. Over the next seven games, he averaged three receptions for 47 yards per game, and had only one touchdown reception (though he added a rushing touchdown in Week 7 against the
Cleveland Browns), before an Achilles tendon injury sidelined him for all but one reception over the last five weeks of the season.
The one receiving touchdown, a 60-yard reception in Week 8 against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
, was Jackson's record-setting 24th NFL receiving touchdown of 60 yards or more, breaking a tie with
Jerry Rice. The record came a week after Jackson became the 47th NFL player to reach 10,000 receiving yards.
The 32-year-old Jackson ended the 2018 season with enough receptions (41 for 774 yards) to qualify as the league-leader in yards-per-reception (18.9) for the fourth time in his career.
Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)
2019 season
On March 13, 2019, Jackson and a 2020 seventh-round selection were traded to the Eagles in exchange for a
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
sixth-round compensatory selection (Pick #208, used to draft
Scotty Miller). Jackson made his return to the Eagles in Week 1 against another former team, the
Washington Redskins. In the game, Jackson caught eight passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns as the Eagles won 32-27. Both touchdowns were long, putting him at 31 career touchdowns receptions over 50 yards, passing Randy Moss (29) for second in NFL history. He underwent core muscle surgery on November 5, and was subsequently placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
.
2020 season
In the first three weeks of the 2020 season, Jackson caught 10 passes for 121 yards before missing the next three games due to a hamstring injury. He returned in Week 7, but suffered a lower body injury in the game and was placed on injured reserve on October 26, 2020. He was activated on December 26, 2020. In Week 16 against the
Dallas Cowboys, Jackson caught an 81-yard touchdown pass from
Jalen Hurts during the 37–17 loss. The touchdown was his record-extending 25th of 60 or more yards and his record-tying 5th of 80 or more yards, joining
Jerry Rice,
Lance Alworth,
Bob Hayes and
Derrick Alexander.
He finished the 2020 season with 14 receptions for 236 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in five games. Jackson was released on February 19, 2021.
Los Angeles Rams
Jackson signed with the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
on March 21, 2021. Jackson recorded his first touchdown with the Rams in their Week 3 win against the
Buccaneers, on a 75-yard pass from
Matthew Stafford. On November 2, Jackson was released by the Rams upon request. With the Rams winning
Super Bowl LVI
Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference ...
, Jackson was awarded his first Super Bowl ring.
Las Vegas Raiders
On November 8, 2021, Jackson signed with the
Las Vegas Raiders. In Week 12, against the
Dallas Cowboys, he had three receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown in the 36–33 victory. In the 2021 season, Jackson had 20 receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns.
Baltimore Ravens
On October 18, 2022, Jackson was signed to the
Baltimore Ravens' practice squad. He appeared for the first time in Week 9, and in Week 12 he caught a 62-yard pass to set up the go-ahead touchdown late in the 4th quarter against the
Jacksonville Jaguars. He was signed to the active roster just after Week 13's game on December 5, 2022.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Personal life
Jackson is the son of Bill and Gayle Jackson, and his oldest brother, Byron, is a former
San Jose State wide receiver who spent two seasons on the
Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad. His father was hospitalized with pancreatic cancer during the Eagles run in the 2009 playoffs, and died on May 14, 2009. Jackson currently resides in
Moorestown, New Jersey. Jackson was featured on the cover of the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
version of ''
NCAA Football 09
''NCAA Football 09'' is a college football video game created by EA Sports, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts. It is the successor to NCAA Football 08 in the NCAA Football series. The game was announced on February 14, 2008 and was released on July ...
''. Jackson took part and won a competition of ''
Hole in the Wall'' in April 2011.
Jackson has also received media attention for plays that critics say show poor judgement on his part, and in particular, multiple premature celebrations which have resulted in lost touchdowns. In the movie
Silver Linings Playbook, an otherwise-conservative psychotherapist encourages the protagonist (played by
Bradley Cooper) to wear Jackson's jersey.
Antisemitism
In July 2020, Jackson posted an
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
story featuring a quote falsely attributed to
Adolf Hitler, espousing
Black Hebrew Israelite ideology, that read: "because the white Jews knows
'sic''that the Negroes are the real Children of Israel and to keep Americas
'sic''secret the Jews will blackmail America. They will extort America, their plan for world domination won't work if the Negroes know who they were." The post also read "Hitler was right."
Jackson posted several quotes from
Louis Farrakhan on his Instagram account in which Farrakhan accused
Dr. Anthony Fauci
Anthony Stephen Fauci (; born December 24, 1940) is an American physician-scientist and immunologist serving as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the chief medical advisor to the presiden ...
and
Bill Gates of desiring to "depopulate the Earth" with a
COVID-19 vaccine.
Farrakhan has been labeled an
antisemitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
extremist by the
Southern Poverty Law Center. Jackson later deleted the posts in question and apologized for his statements.
After the incident, Jackson spoke with leading Philadelphia Jews including Rabbi Doniel Grodnitzky of
Chabad Young Philly,
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
co-owner,
Michael G. Rubin
Michael G. Rubin (born July 21, 1972) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the CEO of Fanatics, the world's leading provider of licensed sports merchandise; and executive chairman Rue Gilt Groupe, the premier off-price e-commerce ...
, and
David J. Adelman
David J. Adelman (born March 11, 1972) is an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Campus Apartments, the Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of FS Investments, and the Founder of Darco Capital Chair. Adelman is also a limited partne ...
, Chairman of the
Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation. Jackson also talked with a Holocaust survivor
Edward Mosberg and agreed to visit the
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, a museum on the site of the
Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
.
References
External links
*
California Golden Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Desean
1986 births
Living people
People from Crenshaw, Los Angeles
Players of American football from Long Beach, California
Players of American football from Los Angeles
African-American players of American football
American football return specialists
American football wide receivers
California Golden Bears football players
All-American college football players
Washington Redskins players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Los Angeles Rams players
Las Vegas Raiders players
Baltimore Ravens players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
Unconferenced Pro Bowl players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people
10,000 receiving yards club
African American–Jewish relations