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That is, unless, Jackson suddenly decides to start taking advice from Philadelphia's favorite son, Terrell Owens.
Owens, on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia, was asked if he'd show up and play on Sunday if he were in DeSean Jackson's situation. From Tim McManus at Philadelphia Sports Daily:
"Absolutely not," Owens replied. "I would have to better myself and my family and my situation. That's ridiculous."
Owens said that Jackson has obviously received advice "to go in there, be a man about it and play under the existing contract that he has," adding, "but I guarantee you — if he goes out and gets hurt, God forbid, he's not going to get the contract that he probably would have gotten if he held out."
I know this won't be something Eagles fans like to hear, but it's not like there's no logic to what Owens is saying. At $600,000, Jackson's earning way less than market value for a player of his ability. Careers are short. Injuries happen. Market value is fair, and most of the time, holding out is the only leverage a player has.Owens said that Jackson has obviously received advice "to go in there, be a man about it and play under the existing contract that he has," adding, "but I guarantee you — if he goes out and gets hurt, God forbid, he's not going to get the contract that he probably would have gotten if he held out."
Not that I want this to happen, of course. Everyone wants Jackson to show up and play (with the possible exceptions of the Rams and Philadelphia's NFC East rivals), because he's fun to watch and he makes the game better. For these reasons, I'm glad he's not holding out.
But I can't say Owens is wrong, either. I can't accuse him of giving bad advice.
I wonder what effect this has on Owens' own employment chances, though. He's fighting two things in his quest to keep playing: 1) his injury, and 2) the perception that he's a bad influence. If he's publicly advising another player to bail on his team right before opening week, that probably doesn't help with the perception that he's a selfish guy. Whether you think it's good advice or bad advice, it's definitely not organization-friendly advice.
He might as well be honest about what he's feeling. It's not like anyone was going to sign him for the positive influence he'd bring to the locker room anyway.