NFL Rumors: Philadelphia Eagles talk DeSean Jackson trade with Carolina Panthers

On Thursday afternoon, reports leaked suggesting that the Carolina Panthers may entertain the idea of trading for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

Now we have word that it was the Eagles who extended the hand, reaching out to the Panthers to gauge their interest in trading for the flamboyant wideout.

"The Carolina Panthers were among the teams the Philadelphia Eagles informally reached out to in order to gauge their interest in a possible trade for wide receiver DeSean Jackson, a league source told the Observer.After the Panthers’ receiving corps was gutted during the first week of free agency, they have an obvious need to restock the position. The Panthers signed former Steelers receiver Jerricho Cotchery to a two-year, $5 million deal Thursday, and on Friday agreed to terms with Tampa Bay free agent wideout Tiquan Underwood."

While it’s a nice idea on the surface, the Panthers only have about $5 million dollars worth of cap room and Jackson’s albatross of a salary is worth over $10 million this season. So if any move was to be completed, the Panthers would need to shift/move some serious salary moving forward.

At this point it’s a bit of a pipe dream but with some creative finances, the Panthers could make it work. Of course, they’d also have to be willing to meet the Eagles reported price tag of at least a third round pick.