The Wednesday afternoon snow in Denver didn’t scare off Darrell Jackson, an NFL receiver with warm-weather roots.
Jackson and the Broncos reached an agreement on a one-year deal after his meeting with team officials at Dove Valley. Jackson grew up in Florida and played at the University of Florida.
“There were three or four other teams interested in Darrell, but everything aligned perfectly for us with Denver,” said Brian Mooney, Jackson’s agent. “The Broncos gave us the best fit from the offense they run, the coaching staff they have and the opportunity he has, both short term and long term. Darrell is planning on playing for a while.”
With an average of 61 catches, 868 yards and six touchdowns in his eight NFL seasons, Jackson, 29, is expected to compete with Keary Colbert for the No. 2 receiver spot. The Broncos had made Colbert their top free-agent acquisition this offseason with a three-year, $7.2 million contract that included a $2.5 million signing bonus.
Besides Jackson and Colbert, the Broncos have three other established receivers in Brandon Marshall, who had 102 catches in 2007 but also recently suffered a serious right forearm injury; Brandon Stokley, who averaged 15.9 yards a catch with five touchdowns last year; and Samie Parker, another free agent who was signed this week.
Jackson’s best years were with with Seahawks. He had 87 catches for 1,199 yards in 2004 and 63 catches and 10 touchdowns in 2006.
Traded to San Francisco last year, Jackson’s production slipped to 46 receptions and 497 yards.
“Just as the stars didn’t align last year with all the injuries, it’s just the opposite with Denver,” Mooney said. “With Jay Cutler as the quarterback, I think the Broncos are going to be a fun team to watch.”
