2012 NFL Free Agents: Odds on Where Vincent Jackson Will Land

After the NFL franchise tag deadline passed, the San Diego Chargers didn't tag receiver Vincent Jackson and it appears will take a gander at the market.

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Chargers GM A.J. Smith was playing a smart game:

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"If we decide to franchise Vincent we all know the number,” Smith said. “If we decide to pursue a long-term deal we will have a great offer, a great package both in years and money. I hope it’s acceptable to them. We would love to have Vincent continue to be a member of our team."

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So, we must wait and see what the market has to offer. In turn, here are the odds for some of the franchises rumored to have interest in the standout receiver.

Full view of projected salary cap space.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers aren't expected to have a lot of cap space and although Vincent Jackson would make for a great complement to Steve Smith, acquiring him doesn't address their needs.

Last season Cam Newton went off the charts in throwing for over 4,000 yards and accounting for 35 total touchdowns. The Panthers offense was ranked No. 13 in passing, No. 3 in rushing and averaged 390 total yards per game.

Defensively, though, Carolina was No. 24 against the pass, No. 25 against the rush and allowed an average of 377 total yards per game.

Therefore, looking to improve the dark side of the ball is needed and if the Panthers want to address anything on offense, it should be via the draft. There are some solid talent at receiver in the mid-rounds as well as return specialists.

With Smith, tight end Greg Olsen and a decent No. 2 guy in Brandon LaFell, the Panthers don't need Jackson as much as other franchises.

Odds: 1 in 80

Buffalo Bills

With some good cap space expected to be available, the Buffalo Bills have a great opportunity to acquire Vincent Jackson.

Buffalo also needs to upgrade at receiver because, aside from Steve Johnson, there's no deep threat or guy who can draw double-teams.

Last season Johnson caught 76 passes for over 1,000 yards and scored seven touchdowns. But the next best target was David Nelson, who finished with a respectable 61 catches for 658 yards and five touchdowns. Still, Buffalo needs more production if it wants to catch New England in the AFC East.

Nelson would make for a great No. 3 target and having Johnson opposite of Jackson would certainly be troublesome for any defense.

And for as fast as the Bills began the 2011 season, they finished with only 231 passing yards per game (ranked No. 13). Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has proven he can play at an elite level, but once in a slump, the Bills faltered hard and fast.

With Jackson on the outside, Fitzpatrick has another reliable target and this also prevent defenses from trying to isolate running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. Buffalo is close to a complete offense and snagging Jackson fills that void.

Odds: 1 in 30

San Francisco 49ers

Arguably the most appealing franchise for Jackson because of its Super Bowl odds, the San Francisco 49ers seem to be the most likely landing spot.

Last season San Francisco was one non-fumbled punt return away from the Super Bowl and is desperately in the need for a big time, playmaking receiver.

Quarterback Alex Smith developed rather quickly under new head coach Jim Harbaugh and that will only continue. The ground game is stellar, which is way more than the Chargers can say, and the defense is arguably the best in the biz.

Jackson would immediately draw attention away from the box and tight end Vernon Davis. Additionally, with those still skeptical of Smith's passing ability, Jackson will be his deep-ball outlet and force defenses to not blitz as often.

Also, San Francisco is projected to have great cap space available and being legit championship contenders only enhances the appeal.

Provided that the 49ers display genuine interest, it would be more surprising if Jackson did not end up in the Bay Area.

Odds: 1 in 10

Minnesota Vikings

Last season the Minnesota Viking finished No. 28 in passing offense and averaged just 185 pass yards per game.

Obviously having Donovan McNabb fail early on and then putting the rock in rookie Christian Ponder's hands doesn't warrant an overly dominant threat to pass. Plus, the Vikings most productive receiver was Percy Harvin with 967 yards on 87 receptions and six touchdowns.

That's solid for a true slot-man who also carried the ball 52 times for 345 yards and score two touchdowns on the ground. But Minnesota needs a guy who can stretch a defense while proving to beat double coverage, or at least draw it.

The Vikings also tried to make a move for Jackson in 2010, so it would be expected that they try again in March.

That being said, Ponder has proven to earn a shot to start in 2012 as he threw for over 1,800 yards and had 13 touchdowns to 13 picks in 11 games played. With a subpar receiving corps and managing to finish with a 70.1 rating, there's hope in the Twin Cities.

Get him a stud receiver and a lot of pressure gets taken off Ponder, as well as the ground game.

Odds: 1 in 35

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011 averaged just 136 passing yards per game, ranking dead last in pro football.

However, five of their 11 losses were by a touchdown or less and the Jaguars still fielded one of the league's most complete and consistent defenses.

Running back Maurice Jones-Drew led the NFL in rushing, but rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert appeared to look like a bust pick after completing just 50.8 percent of his throws.

Still, Gabbert had over 2,200 yards and 12 touchdowns to 11 picks, plus he had arguably the NFL worst receiving corps to target. The Jaguars are projected to be in good position regarding cap space and have a new head coach in Mike Mularkey, who knows how to orchestrate an offense.

Vincent Jackson has never played with a running back like Jones-Drew or a defense that Mel Tucker has built.

Although the Jaguars could likely select a receiver in Round 1 of the draft, such as Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon or Notre Dame's Michael Floyd, pairing one of them with Jackson will immediately give Gabbert two big weapons to connect with.

Jacksonville may not seem appealing, but the potential talent Jackson would be surrounded with is quite impressive.

Odds: 1 in 20

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears, as it comes to no one's surprise, need a true No. 1 receiver just to take pressure off running back Matt Forte.

The man has basically been the Bears' entire offense and even when defenses tried to completely shut him down, Forte still gained almost 1,500 total yards in not even 12 full games.

Well, acquiring a receiver such as Vincent Jackson will certainly force defenses to think otherwise about stacking the box, because Jay Cutler has enough mobility and a great arm to launch more than a few to Jackson.

And if Jackson gets double-teamed, then connecting with Johnny Knox or Devin Hester over the middle will suffice. Not to mention, but Forte has a great dual-threat back and easily one of the most complete players in the game.

Include Chicago's expected salary cap space and things are lining up for Jackson to the Windy City. Provided that Chicago improved on defense will obviously increase the appeal, because the Bears aren't as attractive as San Francisco right now.

Odds: 1 in 55

New England Patriots

As always, we can never count out the New England Patriots because, quite frankly, the franchise has had this mystic about it since its first Super Bowl title that has drawn in top free agents.

Although the Pats haven't won it all since the 2004 season, playing in five Super Bowls the past 11 seasons, as well as six AFC Championship games is easily the most consistent this century.

Better yet, New England has an opportunity to be even better in 2012 provided that the defense picked up where it left off in the postseason.

Offensively, however, Tom Brady is still missing that No. 1 deep threat like Randy Moss to really prevent a defense from slowing down the Pats. Yes, the combination of Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch is stellar, but Vincent Jackson takes them to another level.

It seems like every year New England has great cap space available and 2012 is expected to be no different. Never again will Jackson have been around so much talent on one side of the ball and he'd even take an upgrade at quarterback.

Depending on how lengthy of a contract the Pats would offer is really the deal-breaker. If New England wants even high Super Bowl odds, though, that kind of offer will happen.

Odds: 1 in 15

John Rozum on Twitter.