NFL Rumors: Rounding Up Buzz on DeSean Jackson, Julius Thomas and More

The 2017 NFL offseason is upon us. Fortunately for football fans, we're entering the portion of the offseason that still carries significant entertainment value.

The new league year is set to kick off on March 9 at 4 p.m. ET. With the start of the new league year will come free agency, and less than two months after that, we'll be treated to the NFL draft. Over the next couple of months, there will be plenty of trade, free-agency and draft storylines to follow.

While most deals can't be officially made until the new league year, the rumor mill has already begun churning. Let's dig into some of the latest rumors heading into the final week of February.

DeSean Jackson Ready to Test the Market

Two of the top wide receivers expected to enter the free-agent market this year currently reside with the Washington Redskins. DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon are both in the final days of their current contracts, and retaining both could be difficult for Washington.

Jackson seems content to continue playing for the Redskins, but he could be the more likely of the two to leave via free agency. Several teams should be interested in his big-play ability, and he has been repeatedly linked to a Philadelphia Eagles return.

"It's just so logical," ESPN.com's Adam Schefter told Anthony Gargano of 97.5 The Fanatic back in December. "With Philadelphia, the biggest need is at wide receiver. With DeSean becoming a free agent and with him having as much respect for Doug Pederson as he does, every element that you can think of is in place there."

If the Eagles are genuinely interested in a reunion—or another team becomes interested, for that matter—then it could spark a bidding war for Jackson's services. According to Jackson, the highest bidder could earn those services.

Jackson recently appeared on Redskins Nation (h/t Stephen Czarda of the team's official website). During his interview, he made it clear that he does like the idea of returning to Washington but that money could be the deciding factor.

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My family and my house, I have everything here. ... Hopefully we can make it work. But once again this is a business so things happen. I'm just really excited about the opportunity I have to sit and now the ball's in my corner a little bit and see what we can do. I'm just excited and I'm going to let my agent take care of all that. Ready to just sit back and whatever offers come in but obviously like I said I do want to be here.

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This suggests that Redskins fans should only feel confident about a Jackson return if they're also confident about Washington's willingness to shell out the dollars to keep him. It feels like the team willing to spend the most is going to end up with Jackson next season.

Jaguars Preparing to Trade Julius Thomas

Two offseasons ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed tight end Julius Thomas to a blockbuster five-year, $46 million contract. Unfortunately, Jacksonville hasn't received the desired returns on its investment.

Thomas has only appeared in 21 games for the Jaguars over the past two seasons. He's posted 76 receptions in that span but only 736 yards and nine touchdowns. Now, it appears the Jaguars could be willing to pull the plug on the whole experiment.

According to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel, the Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins are working on a deal that would send Thomas to Miami and offensive tackle Branden Albert to Jacksonville. Per Kelly, the deal may require Thomas and Albert to restructure their contracts.

Kelly previously reported that the Dolphins were set to release Albert before the trade offer came in.

According to Benjamin Allbright of 104.7 FM in Denver, sources believe finalizing the deal will only be a matter of time:

The deal makes a lot of sense for the Dolphins, as Thomas played under head coach Adam Gase when he was the offensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos. For the Jaguars, this feels like an attempt to get something in return for the tight end while they can.

Albert is a three-time Pro Bowler, but he's also 32 years old and appears to be on the downswing. Pro Football Focus rated Albert just 141st overall among offensive tackles for the 2016 season. This doesn't mean Albert cannot revive his career in Jacksonville. However, the Jaguars' willingness to gamble on him indicates how the franchise feels about Thomas moving forward.

Jacksonville could have just as easily made a run at Albert after he was released.

*Update: Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins and Jaguars are now looking to trade Albert for a draft pick, not Thomas. Per Salguero, reports that Thomas was to be part of the deal were not accurate. 

NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, however, claims that the Jaguars are indeed sending Thomas to Miami:

Shanahan Might Bring Tamme, Schaub to San Francisco

The San Francisco 49ers hired new head coach Kyle Shanahan away from the Atlanta Falcons with the hope that he could bring his playoff-caliber offense to the bay area. According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, Shanahan also might bring along tight end Jacob Tamme:

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Multiple sources indicated San Francisco is a strong possibility if Tamme doesn't re-sign with the Falcons. The 49ers are now coached by former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. There's little doubt Shanahan would love to have a cerebral player such as Tamme on board to help implement his offense, although the 49ers just re-signed tight end Vance McDonald to a five-year contract extension in December.

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Tamme proved to be quite productive in Shanahan's offense. He racked up 59 receptions and 657 yards in 2015, adding another 22 receptions and 210 yards in eight games last season. His familiarity with Shanahan could be even more valuable than his on-field production in San Francisco, though.

Tamme might not be the only Falcons player that Shanahan is interested in acquiring either. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee believes that backup quarterback Matt Schaub could also be on the former Falcons coordinator's radar.

Adding Schaub would make sense for the same reasons adding Tamme would. However, we shouldn't expect him to come in as a potential starter. Shanahan recently explained that he isn't looking for a short-term answer under center, which Schaub would likely be.

"When you make a decision on a quarterback, you don't want it to be a short-term fix," Shanahan said, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. "You want to make a commitment to somebody. In order to do that, you better make sure you're on the same page with everyone else and you put the time in, you talk to people who've been with these guys."

Schaub would likely serve as the backup in San Francisco, just as he did in Atlanta. The good news is that he could easily help integrate Shanahan's offense from that position.