Ravens WR DeSean Jackson nearly signed with the Steelers last offseason

Baltimore Ravens wideout DeSean Jackson almost signed with an AFC North rival this past offseason, and the Ravens are probably thankful he didn’t.

Jackson signed with the Ravens in mid-October, entering his 15th year in the league. The veteran wide receiver spent stints on the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, among other teams, before arriving in Baltimore in 2022 to add much-needed depth at his position.

At the time of Jackson’s signing, Rashod Bateman had just been ruled out for the rest of the season, and the Ravens’ wideout corps was looking as thin as ever.

Many were skeptical about Jackson given that he’s 36 years old and has a troubling injury history, and so far, Jackson has only been able to feature in three games for the Ravens.

He’s still looking for his first touchdown in Baltimore, yet the Ravens covet his speed and big-play ability as Jackson can pose as a menacing deep threat when he’s healthy.

Jackson spoke a bit about his career path and noted that he almost joined the Steelers last offseason — the fact that Pittsburgh didn’t make a move for him gives his “extra motivation” ahead of Week 14’s matchup.

Ravens’ DeSean Jackson enters Week 14 vs. Steelers with a chip on his shoulder

The three-time Pro Bowler recorded his most productive game for the Ravens in Week 12 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, catching two passes for 74 yards.

Ravens receiver Demarcus Robinson has proven to be more consistent than Jackson over the past several weeks; however, Jackson does carry some unique talents compared to his peers.

For one, he’s somehow still ridiculously fast, ranking as one of the speediest ball-carriers in Week 12. On one catch against the Jaguars, Jackson reached a speed of 21.72 miles per hour according to Next Gen Stats, good for the third-fastest speed of anyone in the league in 2022.

Time will tell if Jackson can get in meaningful minutes with backup Tyler Huntley on the field, but Jackson certainly looks like a stable fixture in the Ravens’ receiving corps for the rest of this year.

He was officially signed to the active roster on Monday and should see plenty of snaps against a leaky Steelers secondary in Week 14.

At this point in his career, Jackson doesn’t have much left to prove, but getting a touchdown against a team that spurned him earlier this year would feel pretty darn good.