Will Desean Jackson make it into Canton?
By: Jake Rajala
The speed demon Desean Jackson has unequivocally been one of the best deep threats in NFL history. It didn’t take long for Jackson to blow by opponents – as he made the Pro Bowl & second-team All-Pro in his sophomore season. In 2010 (the same year that Apple released its iPad), he made the PB, while garnering a personal-best 22.5 YPC. Jackson made his third and final trip to Hawaii in 2013.
He hasn’t been an annual Pro Bowl WR or ever obtained first-team All-Pro honors, but he has proved to be a home-run hitter with many teams (Philadelphia, Washington, Tampa Bay, Las Vegas, and the Los Angeles Rams). With that said, there is a polarizing question that many Philly and NFL fans have about the biggest enemy of the New York Giants special teams unit: Is Jackson a future Hall of Famer?
Jackson is quite the authentic wideout. Per NBC Sports, Jackson’s 17.4 YPC is the highest career YPC in the league over the prior 35 years. Furthermore, Jeremy Klump of NFL Spin Zone noted that he has led the league in YPC on four different occasions.
There is no denying that Jackson is one of the most explosive wideouts of all time. However, he has made only three Pro Bowls (which is four fewer Pro Bowls than AJ Green). He also has 58 receiving touchdowns – which ranks 99th among all WRs.
I love Jackson’s legacy in the league, but I don’t believe he is HOF material. Similar to Julian Edelman, he’s a unique, high-end WR and a fan favorite, but I don’t believe he deserves a gold jacket for his career production. Although, he hasn’t officially retired yet. He technically garnered an SB ring from the LAR for his efforts in the early portion of the 2021 season. Yet, I would give more respect if he is able to help a team in the post-season and then proceed to obtain an SB ring – which would make him a HOFer by a hair from my perspective.
