NFL odds: Chargers trying to trade Eric Parker

By Jordan Walters
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook

The NFL can be a cruel business. In other sports, you can’t lose your job to injury, but that’s just the way it is in pro football.

Case in point: San Diego Chargers wide receiver Eric Parker. His 170 receptions since 2003 rank third on the Chargers behind Antonio Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson, two guys you may have heard of.

Parker’s problems on staying with the team are two-fold: 1) He had surgery on his right big toe in October and did not play last season. While he has been running and doing other drills, he did not participate in minicamp or offseason coaching sessions; 2) the Chargers actually have some wide receiver depth now, with last season’s trade for Chris Chambers and the development of young receivers like Vincent Jackson. In addition, San Diego also signed receiver/returner Mark Jones and has a glut of punt returners, a spot Parker used to fill, so he has definitely become expendable.

In 2007, Jones returned 12 punts for 143 yards (11.9 avg) with a long of 35 for the Bucs.  His year was cut short by a knee injury that landed him on IR on Oct. 24, but he has since recovered from that injury. For his career, Jones has 117 returns for 1,017 yards, an average of 8.7 yards per return, so he will take that job.

 

Mainly because of that signing, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Parker will be dealt or released before training camp starts.

The Cleveland Browns are thought to be one of the teams who already have called San Diego. Cleveland’s offensive coordinator is former Chargers tight ends coach Rob Chudzinksi, and the Browns likely will need a replacement for injured receiver Joe Jurevicius.

However, Parker has some downside, which means other teams may just wait for San Diego to release him rather than surrender a late-round pick. The seven-year veteran has logged 40 career starts but has never completed a full season without missing a game due to injury.

In addition, he has only three career receptions over 40 yards, and he’s considered a speed receiver. And there’s that $1,850,000 salary he is due to make in 2008. Still, look for Cleveland to be the first one to pounce when/if Parker is cut free. Dallas and Miami also could use a veteran receiver.

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