Alshon Jeffery Would Make a Great Fit with the Buccaneers
Jason Licht and the Buccaneers will be in the market for a wide receiver this offseason to complement Mike Evans on the outside. Alshon Jeffrey is one of the big-ticket free agents on the market, and Licht would be wise to take a long look at bringing him to Tampa.
Even though the Buccaneers are on the outside looking into the NFL playoffs, they do get a jump-start on evaluating the free agent market. At 6-10, the Bucs certainly have holes to fill, one of which being wide receiver. Alshon Jeffrey is one of the bigger names on the market. He has become a top player in the league at a very young age, and the Buccaneers have the ability to bring him in.
And that is exactly what the Buccaneers should do, as he would make a perfect fit.
The Buccaneers had Mike Evans posting his second straight season of more than 1,000 yards receiving. But the problem was the lack of a secondary weapon. Nobody else posted more than 600 yards receiving, with the top number behind Evans coming from running back Charles Sims with 561 yards. The Bucs need a weapon on the outside.
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Alshon Jeffrey is an ascending player in the NFL, and he is right in the prime of his career. At only 25 years old, he has many good years ahead of him. Aligning him with Jameis Winston, Mike Evans, and Doug Martin would make for a formidable offensive nucleus in Tampa Bay for a long time.
Jeffrey also is a guy that needs works well as a number two, as well as a number one. Take a look at his final three seasons in Chicago. From 2013-2014, Jeffrey posted 17 touchdowns and over 2,500 yards receiving. The common thread over the two years was Brandon Marshall on the opposite side. With a threat like Marshall to be concerned with, Jeffrey was still able to get in the endzone and post strong yardage performances.
In 2015, as the lead dog with Brandon Marshall in New York, Jeffrey took his performance to another level. Over nine games and eight starts, he was on a pace for over 1,600 yards receiving and ten touchdowns. He stands at 6’4″, making him an imposing threat in the redzone.
Imagine the combination of Jeffrey and Mike Evans. Evans stands at 6’5″. Look at the duo on New York, Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Pairing these two afforded the Jets nearly 2,600 yards receiving to go along with 26 touchdowns. This duo could perform the same magic with the Buccaneers. Picture the confidence that these two players would give Jameis Winston. Exciting times would be had in Tampa Bay.
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It would take a decent offer to lure Jeffrey to town. Last season, he made a modest $1.1 million in the final year of his rookie contract. He will be looking for elite receiver money, but the fact is that some of that will be tempered, due to the fact that he is coming off an injury that was worthy of injured reserve. His cost will likely be kept to a reasonable number.
Alshon Jeffrey is a major free agent. The Buccaneers would be wise to bring him in.