It has become extremely clear that the Buccaneers need a number two wide receiver to pair along with star WR Mike Evans. I know it, you know it, and trust me; Jason Licht and Dirk Koetter know it. The Buccaneers lack true speed in their receiving corps, the Bucs were not very good in YAC (yards after catch) in 2015 and they were even worse in 2016. They ranked 29th in the league in total yards after the catch with 1,433 and 31st in the league after the catch reception with 4.04. The main reason for this is because the Bucs do not have speed. The last Buccaneer to have tremendous speed was Joey Galloway. Galloway was a solid receiver for the Bucs, but Galloway’s last season with the Bucs was in 2008. That means that the Bucs have not had a pure speed guy in almost 9 years. NINE! It seems like I pound the table every offseason just hoping and praying for a receiver with speed. Well those prayers could be answered this offseason. This is an interesting list a free agent wide receivers there is a guy like Kenny Britt who has been up and down or there is guys like Alshon Jeffery and Pierre Garcon who are the two best receivers on the open market. This particular article however will be focusing on speedster Desean Jackson. The former Eagle and Washington Redskin may very well have a new home come march 9th.
NINE! It seems like I pound the table every offseason just hoping and praying for a receiver with speed (Editor’s Note: What about the SDexter Jackson experiment?). Well, those prayers could be answered this offseason. This is an interesting list a free agent wide receivers there is a guy like Kenny Britt who has been up and down or there are guys like Alshon Jeffery and Pierre Garcon who are the two best receivers on the open market. This particular article, however, will be focusing on speedster Desean Jackson. The former Eagle and Washington Redskin may very well have a new home come March 9th.
Why does it make sense?
Well, Jackson has been a great receiver since entering the league and certainly one of, if not the fastest receiver in the league year after year. That would certainly fit the bill for what Koetter and Licht are looking for. There have been multiple reports linking Desean Jackson and the Bucs. There is “belief” around the league that Jackson will sign with the Buccaneers and there has even been a report saying that Jackson would be flying to Tampa when the legal tampering period begins on March 7th. The fact that Jackson is flying to Tampa immediately is a good sign. The bottom line is it makes sense because the Bucs need a number 2 receiver and Jackson provides speed and also got over 1000 yards last season. He can take a 10 yard out and turn it into a 91-yard touchdown like he did when he was a member of the Eagles (vs the Cowboys a few years back). Defensive backs also have to be careful with him around the line of scrimmage because if he beats the corner there he is gone, and no one is gonna catch him.
Conclusion
Jackson definitely still has tons of speed left in him. He turned multiple 10 yard passes into 35 yard gains and the Bucs need that desperately. He will likely be seeking 10-12 million dollars per year from the reports I have heard. That is a hefty price tag for a guy who is now 30 and might only have 2 years of that burner speed left but it is a risk I feel the Bucs need to take. Last offseason they signed Brent Grimes who was 32 years old to a good contract and it worked out well for them. They also signed Robert Ayers who was 30 years old then. What that means is that the Bucs are willing to spend big money on an aging veteran if they feel that he can help out the team. The goal this offseason in One Buc Place is to get this team to the postseason for the first time since 2007. Money will not be an issue will Jackson as the Bucs have plenty of it. Gotta spend it somewhere and I do not see why spending it on Desean Jackson would be a bad idea. OFFICIAL PREDICTION: Jackson signs with the Buccaneers, contract is 3 years,32 million, that’s roughly 10.6 per year and that would be money well spent and would be an awesome start to get weapons for Winston and make the playoff dream become a reality. GO BUCS!
Evan Wanish
16 year old with aspirations of becoming a writer or contributor to some form of media. I have been a Bucs fan my whole life and have followed the team's every move. My goal is to develop as a writer as this is what I would like to do as a career when I get older. I hope to become one of the best writers here, at the end of the day the WTB team is one family and we are glad to have you visiting the website. I hope that everyone enjoys the content myself and the rest of our great writers are able to put out. I would also like to thank Derek 'Old School' Fournier for giving me the platform and helping me in taking the first step to writing and covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. GO BUCS!
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