Philadelphia Eagles: Is DeSean Jackson a Hall of Famer?

As DeSean Jackson makes his triumphant return to the Philadelphia Eagles the question has to be asked; is number 10 a potential Hall of Famer?

DeSean Jackson is the man.

DeSean Jackson is Pro Football Focus’ prototypical deep threat wide receiver, and the best deep threat wide receiver in Philadelphia Eagles history.

But is DeSean Jackson a future Hall of Famer?

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That, my friends is the $10 million question.

Despite a five-year hiatus away from the City of Brotherly Love, split between the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jackson remains among the most popular players among die-hard fans of the Eagles and could one day see his number 10 hanging from the rafters at Lincoln Financial Field.

But is that enough to earn the ever elusive gold jacket, an honor that only 22 former Eagles have received before him?

Well, let’s take a look at the numbers and try to find out.

As things presently stand, the Eagles’ new, old field-stretcher has 10,261 receiving yards on his career; a mark that would rank him 16th overall on the Hall of Fame list between Lance Alworth and FS1’s Shannon Sharp.

Jackson also has 53 career regular-season touchdowns, a mark that would place him squarely 29th overall between household names Elroy Hirsch and Dave ‘Ghost to the Post’ Casper.

So just based on those numbers, the case for Jackson, at least right now, isn’t good, but when you compare them to the league right now, things take a decided turn towards the positive.

Of the wide receivers playing in 2019, only three, Larry Fitzgerald, Antonio Brown, and Julio Jones rank above Jackson. With those three players all but guaranteed to earn gold jackets one day, and another surefire HOFer Rob Gronkowski six spots lower at number 12, it’s entirely possible that Jackson will go down as one of the best wide receivers of this era.

But numbers alone don’t make a player a Hall of Famer. No, a player’s impact on how the game is played can also have a big impact on their NFL legacy.

Since entering the league in 2011, no player has been a more effective deep threat than Jackson, and his presence alone has forced opposing defensive coordinators to completely change the way they play.

Much like having an elite running back opens up the passing game, having a deep threat like Jackson forces teams to play their safeties deep, in cover 2, and open up the short and intermediate parts of the field. Jackson has been so good at what he does, amassing 1,000 more deep threat yards than the next best receiver, that teams have selected scores of diminutive 4.3 clocked speedsters to add that x-playability to their offenses.

While players like Corey Clement, John Ross, and Phillip Dorsett likely would have been drafted based on their insane physical gifts alone, Jackson set the template for what a modern-day NBA deep threat looks like, while simultaneously outshining all challengers to his crown.

But is that enough to earn a gold jacket? We’ll see.

With presumably a few more years left to play, a seemingly ageless skill set, and a shot to close out his career in a prolific passing offense, it’s entirely possible that DeSean Jackson continues to rise up the all-time NFL receiving rankings and makes a serious case to add a 23rd Philadelphia Eagles player to the Hall of Fame in Canton.