Apparently, Chip Kelly has not talked to DeSean Jackson, after all
Even later twist in the DeSean Jackson melodrama; source close to WR says that Chip Kelly has NOT talked to WR, despite reports, including one here.
Updating: I've now heard from a more "official" DeSean Jackson source. Source says contrary to what I was told earlier, and what Ike Reese reported on 94WIP, DeSean HAS NOT talked to Chip Kelly about trade speculation. Says DeSean has tried to, but Chip has been too busy with free agency, etc.
Sorry for taking everyone on a roller-coaster ride here. One problem is that neither the Eagles nor Jackson is willing to talk about this, so we go to other sources, who might or might not know what they're talking about. I know the guy I texted, who confirmed Ike's report to me, is close friends with DeSean. But would he "confirm" something just to seem knowledgeable? I dunno. I am sure the person who emailed me to correct this is in a position of authority. And of course, it would be nice if you could just ask the Eagles, "Hey, has Chip talked to DeSean, as has been reported," and get an answer. But you can't.
As I said earlier today, for me the most interesting twist in yesterday's flurry of reports about the Eagles being open to a Jackson trade was that the Eagles were told of the reports and deliberately chose not to comment. This looked a lot like confirming without confirming. They could have said "that's absolutely false." Or "we're always open to inquiries from other teams, but we don't forsee trading DeSean Jackson, who is a valued member of our organization." Instead, they said they were aware of the reports, and weren't saying anything.
Kelly was asked about DeSean during his lone offseason interaction with reporters, last Friday evening before the Maxwell Club dinner in Atlantic City. Unfortunately, the guy who asked the question was the Inquirer's Jeff McLane -- not because there is anything wrong with Jeff asking questions, but because this allowed Kelly to deflect the question with a joke about something Jeff had written a few weeks back, when he said the Eagles were prioritizing Jeremy Maclin over Riley Cooper, then the team ended up re-signing Cooper first. As soon as Chip finished his quip, an Eagles spokesman shut down the session.
As Tim McManus noted on Phillymag.com the other day, there is a remarkable amount of buzz about this in the halls of agent and media gossip, which isn't to be taken as fact but often acts as a kind of "Geek Chorus" (yeah, I left the r out on purpose) foreshadowing pending events.
The buzz holds that the Eagles are tired of DeSean and ready to move on, despite his 82 catches for 1,332 yards last season. What exactly they are tired of isn't clear. There is gossip about the burglary at his house that reportedly involved a gun, a lot of jewelry and a lot of cash. There is speculation about Jackson's relationship with the coaching staff. But nothing real solid.
One thing we do know: Eagles officials, including Kelly, are obligated to speak to reporters next week at the NFL Meetings in Orlando. As someone once said, get yo popcorn ready.