Rams news: Matthew Stafford's reaction to DeSean Jackson's LA exit

Matthew Stafford gave his take on wide receiver DeSean Jackson's departure from the Los Angeles Rams earlier this week

In what was inevitable for days, the Los Angeles Rams elected to waive veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson on Tuesday.

The Rams and Jackson reportedly mutually agreed to seek a trade partner ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline. The Rams failed to find a suitor for Jackson and although he reportedly was open to staying with the team for the remainder of the campaign, Los Angeles still opted to waive him earlier this week.

There was much expectation after Jackson's decision to sign a one-year deal with the team in the offseason that he would flourish with quarterback Matthew Stafford. This did not pan out as instead, wide receiver Van Jefferson has stepped up to the plate in tagging along with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods in the team's 11 personnel grouping.

Stafford comes away from Jackson's midseason departure disappointed that this move simply did not live up to the expectations, which he touched on during a press conference on Wednesday.

“It's disappointing that it didn’t work out,” Stafford said.

At the least, Stafford appreciated Jackson's short run with the team, which included his standout 75-yard touchdown reception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3.

“I’ve got a ton of respect for DeSean and how talented he is as a player,” Stafford said. “I reached out to him afterwards and just said, ‘Man, it was fun playing with one of the all-time great deep threats.' Being able to connect with him on a long one against Tampa was cool.”

As mentioned, the Rams are not in urgent need of a potent receiver considering the emergence of Jefferson this year. For one, Jefferson has notched 19 first down receptions this season, which is already more than he had all of last year (11) in 16 games played.