Tag You’re It: DeSean Jackson, Mario Williams, Brees, Forte and Welker

Not sure why this is considered breaking news across the land, because most Philadelphia Eagles fans figured this was the move the franchise would make to help save face and trade value of its star receiver, but the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting the Eagles are set to franchise wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

Jackson had a down year in 2011 thanks to a holdout and contract dispute, not to mention being deactivated for a game for disciplinary reasons (missing a special teams meeting), but former Cal star does have 230 catches for 4,096 yards and 28 total touchdowns in 60 games with the Eagles.

My question would be who else is likely to get the franchise tag this year? Here are our predictions:

This one’s a no-brainer: the New Orleans Saints would be crazy not to tag Drew Brees, who threw for a record 5,476 yards in 2011. I see Brees finishing his career in New Orleans and Sean Payton doing whatever it takes to make sure that happens. Now if only he could perfect that drop-kick. Matt Forte single-handedly led my fantasy football team to the playoffs and would have probably led me to the title if not for that late-season knee injury. That said, he deserved the tag after a huge year that saw him roll up 1,487 yards of total offense in 2011 for the Chicago Bears. Sure, he dropped a big ball in the Super Bowl, but Wes Welker has more catches than anyone in the league (554) since 2007 and deserves to be tagged by the New England Patriots. Another player who missed time with an injury in 2011, Texas linebacker Mario Williams is looking to be tagged after tallying five sacks in the first five games. Who would have thought we’d be talking Mario Williams being tagged before Reggie Bush in this league. Guess the so-called experts don’t always know what they’re talking about. Should all of the above get the franchise tag? Share your thoughts in the comments below.