Vincent Jackson via free agency. Obviously things have to be sorted out with Mankins, Light, etc., but he's the guy that really fits everything we are looking for.
Fitzgerald would be awesome, but you have to give up at least a 1st and a 3rd AND then ensure he's locked up long term with big money. V-Jax you could just open the checkbook and hold onto the draft picks.
It's kind of like baseball: do you trade for Johan Santana and give up some of your top prospects AND sign him to a huge extension? Or do you just wait on Sabathia, a similar talent, and sign him as a free agent, giving him a huge deal but keeping all your prospects? I'd go for option #2.
V-Jax has the size/strength/length at 6'5 230 to get off jams in press coverage vs guys like Cromartie and Revis. He won't just pack it in like Randy did.
He has the height to beat out guys like Revis who are 5'10 or 5'11 on jump balls. He also has 3 inches on a guy like Cromartie.
He is built like a TE and will work over the middle of the field. 6'5 and 230 pounds - aka he won't work strictly outside the numbers like Moss did. He will run crossing routes and dig routes, and he won't short arm balls over the middle. The Chargers even moved him into the slot at times to force the defense to adjust -- unlike the Colts did with Wayne.
Although he is built like a TE, he has deep speed. Obviously he's no Moss or Mike Wallace, but every year you see highlight reels of Rivers chucking it to him deep. He's making plays downfield with his speed and his ability to win jump balls. He ran a 4.46 at his pro day I believe.
In 2009, the last full season Jackson played, his average yards per catch was 17.2. That was good for 4th best in the NFL behind: Mike Wallace, Desean Jackson, and Mohammed Massaquoi. Desean and V-Jax both had over 60 receptions, while Wallace and Massaquoi only had 30 receptions, so that makes it even more impressive -- not only is he a deep threat but he's contributing in the short/intermediate passing game as well. By the way, the great Randy Moss' average yards per catch was 15.2.
In 2008, V-Jax was again 4th in the league in AVG yards per catch with 18.6. He was behind: Devery Henderson, Bernard Berrian, and Justin Gage -- all of whom had between 32-48 catches. V-Jax had 59 catches. By the way, Randy's average was 14.6 (yes, he had Cassel, but I don't care).
Even in 2007, V-Jax had 15.2 AVG yards per catch. Moss, who had the "greatest season ever by a WR", was on "a mission to prove everyone wrong and get paid", and was "at his pinnacle as the best deep threat in the game and maybe of all time" had the same exact AVG yards per catch of 15.2.
He's basically a somewhat lesser version of Larry Fitzgerald in terms of elite hands and great route running, but he's more of a big play threat, has better deep speed, has similar size and build, and works both outside and inside the numbers.
As much as we'd all love to have Larry, V-Jax makes more sense. He is someone who is 28 years old (only one year older than Larry) and will cost less in terms of resources (don't have to give up draft picks). Larry is a top 3 WR in football with Andre and Calvin. V-Jax is a top 5-10 IMO, probably somewhere around 6 or 7.
Plenty of money should/could be coming off - AD dead money, Taylor, Morris, Light, Faulk, etc. We should have the money to go after him.
I don't care about his DUI situation.
