Is Eagles Ex DeSean Jackson Hall of Fame Worthy?

DeSean Jackson, the longtime NFL receiver, who played half his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, was one of the game's most explosive players. But did he do enough for enshrinement?

PHILADELPHIA – Explosive plays are always fun to watch in an NFL game, and there may be nobody who transformed into a stick of dynamite on game days than receiver DeSean Jackson, and he did it for a very long time.

How does 16 seasons' worth of big plays grab you? Does it grab you enough to think he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

The clock began ticking on that conversation during the weekend when it appeared that Jackson announced his retirement from the game on social media. If he remains retired, Jackson would be eligible for enshrinement in 2028.

That would make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer. That won’t happen.

The question is: Will it happen at all?

Let’s examine:

Half of his career – eight years over two different stints – was spent with the Philadelphia Eagles, so the city’s fans and media had a front-row seat to witness his high-voltage game.

His walk-off punt return to beat the New York Giants on one of three Eagles "Miracle in the Meadowlands" was one of the greatest plays in NFL history, and was ranked as one of the top plays of the 2010 season in a 2013 poll of fans done by NFL.com.

The walk-off covered 65 yards with no time left not only gave the Eagles a stunning 38-31 win with 28 fourth-quarter points.

He played 95 games in Philadelphia (94 starts) and made 379 catches with a 17.2 yards per catch average for 6,512 yards and 35 touchdowns.

His return yardage needs to be factored in as well. Of his 140 career punt returns, 132 of them came in Philly, where he racked up 1,296 yards (9.8 yards per return) and four touchdowns.

Jackson can track a football deep down the field, the way a centerfielder does in baseball, and run it down without breaking stride. Combined with his speed, that helped make him perhaps the game’s best deep threat, with career totals of 641 receptions, 11,263 receiving yards, and a 17.6 yards per reception average. He had 58 and was a three-time Pro Bowl player.

He leads all NFL players with 24 career touchdowns of 60-plus yards, one more than Hall of Famer Jerry Rice had.

The numbers aren’t what many receivers who have long-retired put up and are still waiting for enshrinement if it ever comes.

Players such as another former Eagles receiver, Irving Fryar, who played 17 seasons, caught 851 passes with 15,594 all-purpose yards, and 88 total touchdowns are certainly one, though Fryar was involved in several off-field incidents both during and after his playing career and in 2015, he was sentenced to prison for his role in a mortgage scam.

Otis Taylor of the Kansas City Chiefs, the St. Louis Rams’ Torry Holt, and the Green Bay Packers Sterling Sharpe, despite having played just seven seasons before a neck injury ended his career, certainly deserves strong consideration for the Hall.

Like Fryar, Jackson also had his share of on- and off-field issues, such as his antisemitic remarks during his second stint with the Eagles, which ran from 2019 to 2020.

He departed from town for the first time on March 28, 2014, six years after the Eagles drafted him in the second round in 2008. Considered a first-round talent, there were some character concerns around the receiver coming out of the University of California that forced him to drop to the second.

It was alleged that he was released due to gang time, though those were never proven. More likely, his departure was based on the whim of then-coach Chip Kelly, who, less than a year later would purge running back LeSean McCoy in a trade to the Buffalo Bills.

Off-the-field issues aside, Jackson probably shouldn’t get into the Hall of Fame. His numbers just don't match up with some other players. He was a very, very good player, but there's not a Hall of Fame for the very good.

Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.

Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.

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