13 years on, DeSean Jackson has not forgiven former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly for releasing him.
DeSean Jackson retired in 2013 after signing a one-day contract with the Philadelphia Eagles . While he won a Super Bowl with the LA Rams , the speedy wide receiver's heart belongs to The City of Brotherly Love.
Jackson was drafted by the Eagles in 2008 and played there until he was cut in 2013, with Chip Kelly deciding to take the team in another direction. Jackson went on to sign with the Washington Redskins to stay in the division.
Speaking to the Dan Patrick Show , current Delaware State University coach Jackson was asked when he last spoke to Kelly. He said he has not communicated with him since he was released.
"I think you got that answer. 2013, when he released me, when he did that bonehead mistake [that] he shouldn't have did, that hurt his NFL career."
Kelly's Eagles went 10-6 with DeSean Jackson during his first year in charge. They went 16-15 across the next two seasons, with the head coach eventually fired.
DeSean Jackson says he could have lived with his exit from Philadelphia if it had been handled in a different way. But he did not appreciate the way his name was dragged through the mud to justify the decision.
Speaking about the conversation he had with Kelly, he said: "I think it was fake. I think it was. I think he never really owned up to the truth on why they went in a different direction.
"I expressed this. I could have respected if he just said, 'you know what, Desean, we're going in a different direction. You don't fit in this. You're not the player we want, and so be it'.
"But I think to dig up certain things on how my upbringing was, and where I grew up at, and the people I was hanging around, to make it seem like I was a villain or or a bad person in society, like that really made me feel a way."
Jackson went on to play for the Redskins and Buccaneers , before returning to the Eagles in 2019, before spells with the Raiders , Rams and Ravens .
He holds the NFL record for the highest number of receiving touchdowns 60 yards or longer.
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