Vincent Jackson's next stop ... Washington?

Chargers holdout receiver Vincent Jackson, who will now be eligible to return in Week 5 if he is traded between Friday and next Wednesday, has been linked to the Vikings, Seahawks and Rams in trade discussions.

Now comes word that the Redskins are in play as a trade partner. Redskins coach Mike Shanahan offered a cryptic response to a post-practice inquiry about whether the team is interested in Jackson. 

"We'll always be trying to upgrade our football team, if that presented itself. We have people evaluating different people on teams all the time," Shanahan said. "You never know when a trade does work out or when you can get somebody to help your football team. But that's part of the process."

Jackson has been suspended the first three games of the season for violating the league's personal conduct policy, and he was also suspended another three games because he didn't report to the Chargers the week before the regular season opener. A decision reached between the NFL and NFL Players Association earlier today allows Jackson to be traded between Friday and Wednesday. If a trade happens in that time frame, Jackson can play in the fifth game of the regular season. If not, he must sit out six games.

The Vikings are the most frequently mentioned trade partner, having lost starter Sidney Rice to a hip injury for at least half the season. But there is also interest from St. Louis, which is extremely thin at the receiver position, and Seattle. The Seahawks released receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh before the season, only a year after signing him to a free agent deal in 2009.