He had 58 catches for 961 yards along with four touchdowns, which were the lowest since his rookie season along with a career-low of 6.7 yards averaged for punt returns.
In an interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters, the 25-year-old said he never gave it his all last season as he was worried about getting injured heading into a contract year.
"I let it get to me, even though I tried not to let it," Jackson said when asked about his effort. "I was trying to protect myself from getting hurt -- now I'm just giving it all."
Jackson would end up getting the contract he wanted back in March, signing to a five-year, $51 million deal along with $15 million guaranteed. Jackson recalls that he was "happy to finally get the contract. I felt with what I had done for the team, I deserved it."
Jackson was looking for a new contract extension before last season started, going as far as to holding out. He did have troubles during the season, being deactivated during a Week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals and being benched in a Week 12 game versus the New England Patriots.
Now Jackson is looking to give it his all this season with distractions aside. We'll see if we can see the old DeSean soon.
Photo Credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images
Josh Dhani is the founder of FootBasket. You can read more about him at his website. Follow him on Twitter @joshdhani.
