National Football League

Free-agent WR DeSean Jackson says he hopes to return to the Redskins

Published Feb. 10, 2017 10:38 a.m. ET

Dan Graf

Back in December, there was a report that Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson would want to return to his old team, the Philadelphia Eagles, when he became a free agent this offseason.

Now that he’s just a month from having that choice, Jackson appears to be making a return to the Redskins his No. 1 option. He told CSN Mid-Atlantic on Thursday that he wants to remain in Washington:

“Obviously, I still do want to still be here. My family, my house, I have everything here. I don’t want to be in the transaction of moving and getting all that stuff together. First things first, I do want to be here, and hopefully we can make it work. But, once again, this is a business, and this is the NFL and things happen. I’m just really excited about the opportunity I have to sit back – now the ball is in my court a little bit – I can sit back and say let’s see if we can do a two-year, three-year, four-year deal, maybe a 10. I’m just excited and will let my agent take care of all that and really just sit back and whenever the offers come in and take the best offer, but, obviously, like I said, I do want to be here.”

Jackson would have good reason to return, considering he’s coming off a bounceback season in which he caught 56 passes for 1,005 yards and led the league with 17.9 yards per catch. He’s a key part of one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses, and there’s no guarantee the 30-year-old would be able to put up those kinds of numbers on another team.

Re-signing quarterback Kirk Cousins will be Washington’s top priority this offseason, but taking care of Jackson next might be in the best interest of both parties.