2012 NFL Free Agency: Vincent Jackson Should Be Available

The Jacksonville Jaguars appear to be big players in the 2012 NFL free agency period and one of the positions they'll be looking to fill is the wide receiver position. There should be a handful of good receivers available on the market for the Jaguars to take a look at. One of those players could be San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson.

I asked John Gennaro of Bolts From The Blue about Jackson. Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Pros: Jackson has the body of a Tight End and the speed of a Wide Receiver. He takes contact well and can catch the ball at any position (above his head, at his chest, by his waist, etc.). One of the hardest workers on the team since being drafted. An excellent run-blocker.

Cons: He's fast, but lacks some quickness (as would any 6'5" WR), because of this he struggles against the top-tier CBs around the league. Despite his size, he's not great at jump balls. Had a few run-ins with the law a while back, but it seems like he's matured and put those issues behind him. He's the #2 target in the Chargers offense with Antonio Gates in there, and has struggled with double-teams when Gates is out.

Because he's not rel quick, most of Jackson's catches come 10 yards or deeper. He'll be a fit with a QB that has a good offensive line, a strong arm and at least one short-field threat (a Tight End or slot WR).

I asked John why the Chargers might not bring back Jackson, who seems to be a big piece of their offense.

There are two reasons that Jackson probably won't be back on the Chargers in 2012. Both are dealing with his price tag. First, the Chargers front office believes that they could plug in any two "good' WRs and get similar output from their offense as a whole. That comes from a great belief in Gates, Rivers and the running game (and also seeing Tom Brady and Peyton Manning succeeding with subpar receiving groups in the past). Second, if the Chargers are going to turn the team around and make the playoffs they're going to need to add to their defense (with a pass-rusher) and their offensive line. They can't afford to be spending tons of money on Jackson when they have other holes that need to be filled and a limited amount of salary cap space to fill them.