DeSean Jackson DeSean William Jackson ( born December 1 , 1986 ) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of California , Berkeley , and was a two - time consensus All - American . He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft . Jackson has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times , and was the first player selected to the Pro Bowl at two different positions in the same year when he was named to the 2010 Pro Bowl as a wide receiver and return specialist . Early years . Jackson was born in Los Angeles , California . He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School , the same high school as future Eagles teammate Winston Justice and many other current NFL players . He became one of the top wide receiver recruits in the nation , with many collegiate football programs pursuing his services . He was named the 2004 Glenn Davis Award winner by the " Los Angeles Times " as Southern California ' s player of the year . He also played baseball and was scouted by both the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies in his senior year . Jackson caught 60 passes for 1 , 075 yards for 15 touchdowns his senior year , leading the Jackrabbits to a CIF Southern Section championship . He was pressed into service last minute as a defensive back in the section title game against Los Alamitos High School , responding with two interceptions , one which he returned 68 yards for a touchdown to help fuel Long Beach Poly ' s 21 – 6 victory . To cap off his high school career , Jackson was voted the Most Valuable Player at the U . S . Army All - American Bowl in San Antonio , Texas , where he caught seven passes for 141 yards and passed for a 45 - yard touchdown in leading the West to a 35 – 3 victory in a game that featured 80 of the nation ' s top players . However , he was also involved in an embarrassing play when he attempted to somersault from the five - yard line for a touchdown , but landed on the one - yard line , leaving the ball there . " ESPN . com " ' s Tom Lemming rated him as the number four wide receiver in the country , " PrepStar Magazine " named him an All - American and a member of its Dream Team Top 100 players , and Calhisports . com voted him the 2004 Mr . Football State Player of the Year . He committed to the football program at the University of California , Berkeley under Coach Jeff Tedford , making his announcement on Southern California ' s FSN West . Jackson waited until the deadline to choose between scholarship offers for California and the University of Southern California . College career . Jackson attended the University of California , where he played for the California Golden Bears football team from 2005 to 2007 . Wearing the number 1 , in his first collegiate game against Sacramento State in 2005 , he scored both an offensive and special teams touchdown , returning a punt 49 yards for a score . Throughout his freshman season , Jackson picked up 38 receptions for 601 yards along with seven touchdowns , eclipsing the 100 - yard mark three times . In the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl game against BYU , Jackson tallied 130 yards and two scores . Coming into his sophomore year with high expectations , Jackson displayed more of his talent and playmaking ability , tallying 1 , 060 receiving yards and nine touchdowns . Jackson also returned four punts for touchdowns . He earned first - team All - Pac - 10 honors as both a punt returner and a wide receiver . Jackson garnered national recognition with selections to first - team All - America by the " Associated Press " , Walter Camp Football Foundation , the Football Writers Association of America , the " Sporting News " and " Rivals . com " as a punt returner . Jackson also captured the inaugural Randy Moss Award as the top return man in the nation . In one of only two California losses in Pac - 10 play , Jackson had a 95 - yard punt return for a touchdown against Arizona . Jackson entered his junior season being considered a Heisman Trophy candidate . His season began promisingly , with a 77 - yard punt return for a touchdown against Tennessee in the opening game of the season . Against eleventh - ranked Oregon , he caught 11 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bears to their first victory in Autzen Stadium since 1987 . Jackson finished the 2007 season with 65 catches for 762 yards , and scored six touchdowns as a receiver . Jackson was named an All - American as a return specialist . Jackson suffered several minor injuries that limited his effectiveness at times during the season , along with a right thigh injury that forced him to miss most of the game against Washington and the Big Game against Stanford . He also missed the first quarter of the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl for violating undisclosed team rules . Jackson left Cal following the 2007 season , declaring for the 2008 NFL Draft . He departed holding Pac - 10 records for punts returned for a touchdown both in a season ( four ) , and in a career ( six ) . Jackson ranks third all - time at California for receiving yards with 2 , 423 and receiving touchdowns with 22 . He is sixth in receptions ( 162 ) . Jackson finished with 52 career plays of 20 yards or more , making up 23 percent of his 226 touches . Professional career . Pre - draft . Going to the 2008 NFL Draft Jackson was considered one of the top ten wide receivers available in a draft class littered with talented wide outs . The only knock on Jackson was his small frame , being measured at 5 ' 9¾ " and just over 170 pounds . During the pre - draft period , Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice was quoted saying that Jackson " has all the talent in the world . There ' s no reason he can ' t be everything he wants to be at the next level . " At the 2008 NFL Combine , Jackson had an impressive showing , running an official 4 . 35 40 - yard dash . He performed well in positional drills , running routes fluidly and catching passes very well displaying his well - known agility and quickness . He also posted a standing broad jump of 10 feet . Philadelphia Eagles . 2008 season . On April 26 , 2008 , Jackson was drafted in the second round ( 49th overall ) of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles . He was the seventh wide receiver taken in the draft which saw for the first time ever no wide receivers drafted in the first round . On July 20 , he agreed to terms on a four - year contract with the team . Jackson had a good preseason performance , which included a 76 - yard punt return for a touchdown against the New England Patriots in week 3 . After the Eagles ' roster was cut to its maximum 53 - man limit for the season , he was listed as the starting punt returner and as a second - string wide receiver . Due to injuries sustained by Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown , Jackson was the first rookie to start opening day for head coach Andy Reid . On September 7 , Jackson collected six catches for 106 yards in a 38 – 3 win over the St . Louis Rams . He also returned eight punts for a total of 97 yards , including a 60 - yard punt return to set up a field goal . He had over 200 all - purpose yards , a record for a rookie wide receiver . During a " Monday Night Football " game against the Dallas Cowboys on September 15 , Jackson celebrated prematurely before running into the end zone by flipping the football behind him at the one - yard line . This led to what would have otherwise been his first NFL touchdown to be challenged and overturned , with Brian Westbrook running in for a touchdown from the one - yard line on the next play . The Eagles lost the game to Dallas 41 - 37 . Jackson finished the game with 110 yards on six receptions , becoming only the second receiver in NFL history to have over 100 yards receiving in each of his first two games since the Eagles ' Don Looney in 1940 . On September 28 , Jackson recorded his first offensive touchdown against the Chicago Bears . During this game , he also fumbled a punt return that set up the Bears ' go ahead score . The following week against the Washington Redskins on October 5 , Jackson returned his first punt return for a touchdown with a 68 - yard return . Jackson scored his first rushing touchdown on November 9 on a direct snap in the wildcat formation with a nine - yard run against the New York Giants . A rematch against the Giants on December 7 which resulted in a 20 - 14 upset of the defending Super Bowl champions marked the first time in the season that Jackson did not have a reception . The following week , Jackson rebounded , recording 77 yards on five catches in a 30 – 10 victory over the Cleveland Browns . Jackson ' s final touchdown of the season came in the on January 18 , 2009 against the Arizona Cardinals , when he managed to haul in a 62 - yard touchdown . Jackson narrowly finished second to Curtis in postseason receiving yards with 207 to Curtis ' 211 . Jackson finished a successful rookie season equaling and surpassing the feats of two other Eagles rookies , Keith Jackson and Don Looney . His 912 receiving yards set a new Eagles rookie record and surpassed the previous mark of 869 set by Keith Jackson in 1988 . He was the first rookie to lead the team in receptions , another feat accomplished by Keith Jackson . DeSean Jackson also set the team record for receptions with 62 . 2009 season . In week 1 against the Carolina Panthers , Jackson had his second punt return for an 85 - yard touchdown , the second longest in Eagles history . The following week Kevin Kolb threw his first career touchdown pass to Jackson against the New Orleans Saints for 71 yards . Jackson had 149 receiving yards against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 27 which included a 64 - yard touchdown reception . Against the Oakland Raiders on October 17 he caught six receptions for 94 yards , including a 51 - yard diving fingertips catch , in a 13 – 9 loss . Jackson caught a 57 - yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb that gave McNabb his 200th career touchdown and 30 , 000th career passing yards on October 26 against the Washington Redskins on " Monday Night Football " . He also scored his first rushing touchdown of the season on a 67 - yard reverse . Jackson injured his right foot during the game and had an x - ray during halftime , but returned to play during the third quarter . He was later named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts . In a week 11 matchup on " Sunday Night Football " against the Chicago Bears , Jackson caught eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown as the Eagles won a close game , 24 - 20 . On November 29 against the Redskins , Jackson had to leave the game after sustaining a concussion after a helmet - to - helmet hit by linebacker London Fletcher . Jackson recorded two receptions , including a 35 - yard touchdown . Jackson missed the next game due to his concussion , but returned on December 13 against the New York Giants . Jackson had a career day , as he caught six passes for 178 yards including a 60 - yard touchdown pass from McNabb and a 72 yard punt return for a touchdown ( combined for 261 all purpose yards ) . The game would also put him at eight touchdowns of over 50 yards in a single season , tying an NFL record shared only by Elroy " Crazylegs " Hirsch and Devin Hester . For his performance against the Giants , Jackson was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week . The following week against the San Francisco 49ers , Jackson went over the 1 , 000 - yard mark for the season with 140 receiving yards , including a 19 - yard touchdown reception as the Eagles clinched a playoff berth . On December 27 , he had four catches for 33 yards and a two - yard touchdown , his shortest touchdown of the season , in a win against the Denver Broncos . Jackson was nearly shut down by the Dallas Cowboys in the regular season finale , with only two passes for 36 yards in a 24 – 0 rout of the Eagles . In a rematch the following week on January 3 , 2010 against the Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Game , he was held by Dallas to three catches for 14 yards , including a six - yard touchdown pass in the 34 – 14 loss . Jackson ended the season as the Eagles ' leading receiver with 1 , 167 yards . He was selected to the 2010 Pro Bowl as a starting wide receiver and a kick returner , the first time in Pro Bowl history that a player was selected at two different positions . At the Pro Bowl , Jackson caught six passes for a team - high 101 yards and two touchdowns , including a 58 - yard catch - and - run touchdown pass from McNabb . He was selected to the " Sporting News " ' All - Pro team as a punt returner for the 2009 season , averaging 15 . 2 yards per punt return in 2009 as the league leader . 2010 season . After skipping voluntary camp in the spring , Jackson reported to training camp earlier than most veterans . However he was not speaking to the media and was said to be frustrated about how the Eagles are unwilling to negotiate a contract extension with him . Jackson was carted off the field after he suffered a back injury during the second full team workout of training camp on July 31 , but the injury was not serious . In a 35 – 32 victory over the Detroit Lions , Jackson had 135 receiving yards and a 45 - yard catch - and - run touchdown pass . The following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars , Jackson caught a 61 - yard touchdown and finished the game with five receptions for 153 yards . On October 3 and 10 however , Jackson only caught five passes for 43 total yards . He scored a pair of touchdowns on October 17 against the Atlanta Falcons , one on a 31 - yard run and the second on a 34 - yard reception from Kevin Kolb . During the game he sustained a severe concussion after a collision with Atlanta cornerback Dunta Robinson , with both players assisted from the field . Jackson returned to play on November 7 against the Indianapolis Colts . On November 15 , after an altercation with Laron Landry , Jackson caught a then career best 88 - yard touchdown pass from Michael Vick on the first play from scrimmage while Landry was covering him in 59 - 28 a Monday Night Football victory against the Washington Redskins . He surpassed this on December 12 when he had a 91 - yard touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys and also finished the game with a personal best 210 receiving yards . Jackson again ended the regular season as the team ' s leading receiver with 1 , 056 yards . The Miracle at the New Meadowlands . On December 19 , 2010 , Jackson returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown to lead the Eagles to a win against the New York Giants in the final 14 seconds of the game . The Eagles had trailed 31 - 10 with under 8 minutes to play but had come back with three unanswered touchdowns . With 14 seconds left , the game was tied at 31 - 31 and Jackson received the punt . He fumbled at first , but then picked it up and ran 65 yards for the score , running parallel to the goal line when he reached it in order to wind out the time . This punt return is the first and only game - winning punt return on the final play from scrimmage in the history of the NFL . 2011 season . On July 28 , 2011 , Jackson failed to report to Eagles ' training camp at Lehigh University in Bethlehem , Pennsylvania as required in his contract . His agent , Drew Rosenhaus , offered no immediate explanation for his absence . Jackson faced fines of $ 30 , 000 - a - day until he reported to camp . His deadline to report was August 9 or he would have lost a year of service time toward free agency . Jackson ' s holdout ended on August 8 when he reported to training camp . On November 13 , in a game against the Arizona Cardinals , Jackson was deactivated for missing a special teams meeting . The following week in a matchup against the New York Giants , Jackson flipped the ball at New York defensive coordinator Perry Fewell after making a 50 - yard reception and was flagged for taunting , drawing a $ 10 , 000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct . In a November 27 loss to the New England Patriots , he was benched for the entire fourth quarter after a performance that included drops of two potential touchdown passes . Jackson ended the season as the Eagles ' leading receiver with 961 yards . He also had the lowest total punt return yards of his career with 114 and did not return a punt for a touchdown during the season . 2012 season . Jackson received the Eagles ' franchise tag on March 1 , 2012 . He was re - signed to a five - year contract worth up to $ 51 million on March 14 . On November 27 , Jackson was placed on injured reserve after fracturing his ribs in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers . 2013 season . Following what was statistically the best season of his career , and his third Pro Bowl selection , Jackson was released by the Eagles on March 28 , 2014 . Washington Redskins . 2014 season . On April 2 , 2014 , Jackson signed with the Washington Redskins to a reported three - year , $ 24 million contract with $ 16 million guaranteed . Career Stats . Receiving Stats Returning Stats Rushing Stats Personal . Jackson is the son of Bill and Gayle Jackson and his oldest brother Byron is a former San Jose State wide receiver who spent two seasons on the Kansas City Chiefs ' practice squad . DeSean intended to pursue a degree in social welfare at Cal . His father was hospitalized with pancreatic cancer during the Eagles run in the 2009 playoffs , and died on May 14 , 2009 . Jackson currently resides in Moorestown , New Jersey . Jackson was featured on the cover of the PlayStation 2 version of " NCAA Football 09 " . Jackson took part and won a competition of " Hole in the Wall " in April 2011 .