The Los Angeles Rams seem to know full well what they are getting in free agent wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
After all, Jackson signed with the Washington Football Team the same year Sean McVay was promoted to offensive coordinator. The pair enjoyed plenty of success with the former cutting up two 1,000-yard campaigns in his three seasons with the team.
There was plenty of allure for Jackson to potentially cap off his career back in his native Los Angeles with a true playoff contender in the Rams. However, it seems his history with McVay was among the notable deciding factors.
Jackson praised McVay for the role he played during his time in Washington, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official website:
“Sean McVay, we have a very special relationship,” Jackson said. “Sean McVay acquired me back in Washington in 2014. I can remember when the Eagles released me in 2013 and just to have that relationship with a guy that’s kind of close to me in age, then Jay Gruden actually was our head coach at that time. I could just remember where I was at in my career after coming off of one of the greatest seasons I had in 2013 and being released, it was almost like a stab in my back, but to have Sean McVay, Jay Gruden, like kind of just come to me like, ‘Man, we’re not worried about any of that stuff people were saying, we believe in you as a player, as a young human being.’ It was like the opportunity they were able to give me, for me it sits somewhere special in my heart and my life.”
Jackson added that McVay’s affinity for utilizing his skill set is what resonated the most:
“I was to able to come in and have a role where it was unlike any other (that I’d had),” Jackson said. “We had (wide receiver) Pierre Garçon, we had other pieces, (tight end) Jordan Reed, but it was like a niche for figuring out, he’s our deep threat, but he’s not just our deep threat. He’s our underneath guy, he’s our screen guy, he can run quick-hitches, he could scare people so fiercefully deep.”
McVay admitted that this offense was missing the same explosive element it had when wide receiver Brandin Cooks was in the mix. He is hoping that adding a speedster like Jackson can help fill the void pay some huge dividends for generating more big plays on offense.
Fortunately, Jackson’s comments indicate that McVay is not planning on limiting him to just downfield opportunities. A quarterback of Matthew Stafford’s caliber is more than capable of finding holes in the defense wherever they may lie.
On paper, the trio of Jackson, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp has the potential to emerge as one of the most lethal groups in the entire league. Aside from staying healthy, the onus will fall on McVay to find a way to put it all together some next season.
