Vincent Jackson and his agent know that if V-Jax doesn’t play in at least six games this season, then he won’t become eligible to sign with another team as an unrestricted free agent after this season.

That’s why it’s no surprise to hear his representative Neil Schwartz say on Thursday that V-Jax will sign what’s left of his prorated $583,000 tender and join the Chargers on October 29.

Jackson still must sit out three games due to his Roster Exempt status, which means he won’t play until Week 12 at the earliest. Given the Chargers’ early-season struggles this year, they can take all the help they can get, when they can get it.

If he’s motivated (which is a big question mark), Jackson is a complete player. He can stretch a field, he’s a weapon in the red zone and he’s arguably the best blocker in the league from the wideout position. He has also reportedly kept in good shape because he was hoping to be traded by this point. He’ll help the Chargers once he reports.

Of course, this isn’t about helping the Chargers for Jackson. It’s about accruing the six games needed so he can become a free agent at the end of the year. Neither he nor his agent want to deal with GM A.J. Smith and go through all of this again next offseason.

You think it’s hard to predict the games and standings from week to week? Try picking MVP candidates. There are five or six different candidates emerging every week. We’ll do this as one post again today and start separating them out next week. And I’m sure by this time Tuesday everything will be turned upside down again. Enjoy the games today everyone!

MVP Power Rankings

1. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles—He didn’t play last week and yet the Eagles still won, but barely, on the road in San Fran. Against a team that still hasn’t won a game yet. And hence my case is made again. And when Kolb and the Eagles lose at home to the Falcons today, fans in Philly will be chanting Vick’s name, which will have made my case again.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the end, Vincent Jackson’s situation was rather predictable.

The player’s union has been telling agents for months that players who held out will be unrestricted free agents after season, even if they sat out all of 2010. However, players still have to be on the roster for six games in order to get an accrued season and thus become unrestricted.

That’s why it isn’t surprising to hear that V-Jax will report to the Chargers by the end of the month. He wants a new contract and if he holds out all year, he may never get one because he would still be under the Chargers and GM A.J. Smith’s thumb. If he’s on the roster for six games, he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and then he can seek his millions elsewhere.

But nobody really wins here. People will say that Jackson and his agent got one over on Smith, but the GM isn’t dumb – he knows what they were going to do and I doubt he even cares at this point. Smith has made it clear that Jackson has no future with the Chargers so he might as well sign off on his return (Smith has to agree to Jackson returning to the roster), get six weeks out of him (Jackson isn’t eligible to return until Week 12) and then bid him ado at the end of the year.

What happens if Jackson blows out his knee in the final six games of the season? Then what would have this all been about? What if other teams have been turned off by the way he handled things in San Diego? Then there wouldn’t be a big market for him and thus, he may have to accept less than what he and his agent think he’s worth.

V-Jax may get his big contract next year but as of this moment, he rolled the dice and he came up snake eyes – for everyone.

I mean, I know why they would. He can stretch the field with his speed, he’s a big target, he can block and they’re in need of a receiver.

But why would the Patriots trade for Vincent Jackson?

Ever since the Pats traded Randy Moss on Wednesday, rumors have circulated that they’re going to pull off a trade for the disgruntled Jackson. But as John Clayton, Adam Schefter and anyone else with a functional brain notes, this deal isn’t going to happen.

The Patriots don’t believe in spending top dollar on a receiver, which is why they traded their No. 1 wideout to Minnesota two days ago when they only have Wes Welker, Brandon Tate and Julian Edelman on their roster. And let’s not forget why Jackson is holding out in the first place: He wants to get paid.

Why would Bill Belichick orchestrate a trade to ship Moss out of town and then turn around and acquire another unhappy receiver looking for a new contract? Furthermore, why would he go head-to-head with San Diego GM A.J. Smith when he knows Smith is looking for two early round picks for V-Jax? It just doesn’t make any sense.

This isn’t Madden ’11. You can’t just plug a player into any situation and have everything work out in the end. Jackson isn’t a fit for the style of offense that New England runs and it appears as though Belichick is changing his offensive approach anyway.

V-Jax to the Pats isn’t going to happen unless Belichick and Smith wake up one morning and decide to completely change the way they’ve ran football teams for the past decade.

The 4:00PM ET deadline for Vincent Jackson to be traded has come and gone without the Chargers making a deal. That means V-Jax will face his full suspension and will be ineligible to play before Week 7.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Vikings made a “last ditch-effort” to try and trade for Jackson, but San Diego GM A.J. Smith declined the offer. It’s rumored that Smith was looking for both a second round pick and a third round pick for Jackson, but Minnesota was only willing to offer a second rounder and a conditional pick in 2011.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Vikings’ offense continues to fare without Sidney Rice after they decided not to acquire Jackson, who may wind up sitting out the reminder of the season. Percy Harvin is reportedly dealing with migraines again, so the receiver situation in Minnesota is getting bleaker by the day.

According to Yahoo’s Jason Cole, the Chargers have rejected the Vikings’ offer of a second round pick and a conditional pick in 2011 for receiver Vincent Jackson. San Diego reportedly wants a second and a third round selection for V-Jax.

The Chargers may ultimately get little or nothing for Jackson if he, his agents and the team that eventually signs him has their way. The indication from two sources is that Jackson may structure a long-term contract with another team that includes very little money in the first year, a key component for how compensatory draft picks are determined.

Both Chargers general manager A.J. Smith and agent Neil Schwartz, who represents Jackson, declined to discuss the situation.

All three sources were pessimistic about a deal getting done with either the Vikings or an unidentified team that is willing to sign Jackson to a long-term deal. The Chargers have until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday to trade Jackson so that he can play by the fifth game of the season with a team that acquires him.

Only the Vikings could leave me wanting to put my hand in an electric saw rather than talk about the same topic over and over and over again. (Ahem – BRETT FAVRE, ahem. Sorry…got something caught in my throat.)

After another dismal effort by Lord Favre and Minnesota’s offense on Sunday, I wrote about how the Vikings may just want to trade for V-Jax and get the situation over. Click here to check out my thoughts on the subject.

If they want to acquire Vincent Jackson from the Chargers without having him sit out his full suspension, then the clock is ticking for the Vikings.

With the uncertainty of Sidney Rice’s playing status this year, Minnesota needs a receiver, which is why they’re considering trading for the disgruntled San Diego wideout. But as the Minneapolis Star-Tribune points out, if V-Jax isn’t traded by 3PM ET on Wednesday, he has to sit out the full six games of his suspension.

The Vikings play the Matthew Stafford-less Lions this Sunday, so it stands to reason that they’ll pick up their first win of the year. (If they don’t, then forget about Jackson because the Vikes would be a bigger mess than originally thought.) After the Detroit game, they have a bye in Week 4 and are at the Jets in Week 5 and home against the Cowboys in Week 6 before they travel to Green Bay in Week 7 and New England in Week 8.

The Vikings should beat the Lions and could beat the Jets and Cowboys with their current roster, but if they acquire Jackson now, he would be available for both of those games. Why not allow him to play in two games in Brad Childress’ offense before taking on the Packers and Patriots?

Do the Vikings have to acquire Jackson now? No, they don’t have to do anything. But their offense has been a hot mess the past two weeks and if they don’t want to fall further behind the Packers and Bears in the division, they may want to just get the deal done for V-Jax now.

Apparently without Sidney Rice, the Vikings’ offense is about as explosive as toothpaste.

In what had to be an agonizing game for Viking fans to watch, Brett Favre completed 22-of-36 passes for 225 yards and three interceptions in a 14-10 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. One interception was Percy Harvin’s fault, but the other two were vintage Brett. (He threw an absolute pea-rocket into the gut of Jason Allen on one pick, while the other came when he underthrew an intended receiver that had been blanketed by not one, but two Miami defenders.)

Outside of tight end Visante Shiancoe (6 catches, 86 yards), Favre doesn’t appear to be on the same page with any of his receivers. Harvin did catch five passes for 32 yards, but the second-year receiver once again battled injuries throughout the day. He played sparingly in the second half after re-injuring the same hip that kept him out of practice for most of the week.

With Rice (hip) is expected to miss at least another six or seven weeks (and that’s being optimistic – some believe he’ll be out the entire season), maybe it’s time for the Vikings to get serious about acquiring Vincent Jackson from the Chargers. I wrote earlier this week about how I don’t think a move like that would be good for the team’s long-term future, but the Vikes can’t sit idle and watch Favre continue to destroy their season. He’s fun to watch when he’s on, but when he’s off there isn’t a more reckless signal caller in the league.

The trade winds may start blowing hard in Minnesota this week.

After reaching a settlement with the NFL on Thursday, San Diego Tribune writer Kevin Acee is reporting that Vincent Jackson is eligible to play in Week 5 if he’s traded.

That’s big news for teams interested in dealing for Jackson, because now they don’t have to wait until Week 7 for him to suit up. He’s currently serving a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s conduct policy and would have had to serve another three games if he didn’t reach a settlement today.

The Rams and Vikings are two teams that are reportedly interested in V-Jax, although Rotoworld seems to think that the Seahawks and Redskins may also get into the mix as well. Jackson is a rare commodity in that he’s a receiver that can not only stretch the field in the deep passing game, but he’s also one of the best blockers in the league – if not the best.

Earlier today, I wrote about how trading for Jackson may not be the best thing for the Vikings long-term. You can read that article here.

This is great news for V-Jax owners as a trade is far more likely now than it was a few hours ago. If you’ve had him this long, you might as well hold onto him and see what the next week brings. And if you can pick him up off the waiver wire cheaply, do so.

The Minnesota Vikings are faced with quite a dilemma.

It’s optimistic to think that Sidney Rice is going to return to action by Week 8 or 9 following hip surgery. Some say he’ll be out for half the year, while others think he’ll miss the entire season.

I happen to fall into the latter category, which is why I understand the Vikings’ desire to trade for Vincent Jackson.

Thanks to their fickle 40-year-old quarterback, Minnesota’s window to win a Super Bowl is closing by the second. They know they have a hole at receiver and they know V-Jax could fill it. But a deal is contingent upon an arbitrator ruling that Jackson will avoid the Roster Exempt list, making him eligible to play in Week 4 following his three-game suspension.

If the ruling goes against Jackson, he’ll have to sit out three more weeks. But even if the ruling goes in his favor, would the Vikings be doing the right thing for their future?

Rice is only 24 and even if he winds up missing the entire season, he’s going to be back next year. The same goes for Percy Harvin, who is only in his second year.

The Vikings proved last year that a combination of Rice, Harvin and Bernard Berrian (who signed a six-year, $43.4 million contract in 2008) is more then sufficient to compete for a playoff berth (assuming they have a decent quarterback, of course). If they add Jackson, they’re going to have to give him a contract extension because after all, why part with multiple draft picks and not making him a part of your long-term plans?

A foursome of Rice, Jackson, Harvin and Berrian would be pretty lethal, but don’t forget that there’s only one ball. This isn’t fantasy football – the Vikings still have an entire roster to think about and it wouldn’t be wise to soak that much money into one position (especially receiver).

That said, I understand the Vikings’ dilemma. They need a receiver now so that they can win now. Jackson is the best available and certainly worth the compensation, but this is a move that could wind up costing the team in other areas down the road. Don’t forget that they still have issues in their secondary and also have an offensive line that is aging. So will they be willing to potentially sacrifice their future to win now? And what if they don’t win? What happens if they build this great receiving corps and Tarvaris Jackson winds up being the one that has to get them the ball?

I have a headache.

With the news that V-Jax might have his suspension reduced, owners who already have him on the roster should hold onto him through the weekend to see if things break his way. If V-Jax is available for cheap in your league and you can acquire him without cutting anyone of note, take a flier on him and see what happens in the next week.

If Jackson lands in St. Louis, it will likely hurt Mark Clayton, Laurent Robinson and Danny Amendola. All three currently have some value in PPR leagues, but there won’t be enough targets in St. Louis to support four fantasy wideouts. Sam Bradford would definitely benefit by having a bona fide WR1 to throw to.