Jeff McLane:
They will not let their Pro Bowl receiver - whose contract is set to expire - walk without getting something in return, according to NFL sources.
The franchise tag doesn’t come as a surprise, but given McLane’s general stance as mouthpiece for the Eagles front office, we can assume this comes from the top.
The Eagles still hold negotiating rights to Jackson and still have the opportunity to work out a contract extension. But unless Jackson and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, drastically drop their asking price - believed to be in the five-year, $50 million range - that proposition is unlikely as the Eagles have typically been steadfast in negotiating.
I wonder whether McLane got that five-year, $50 million figure from the organization as well, or it’s just a guess based on Santonio Holmes’s contract.