With free agency now just sixteen days away, rumors of interest between teams and players are starting to heat up. The Buccaneers are in the market for a fast receiver, and on Tuesday they were linked to the fastest one available.
According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson the Buccaneers are interested in free agent wide receiver DeSean Jackson. The 30 year old veteran Jackson played most recently for the Washington Redskins but thanks to a youth movement on their offense it’s become likely that he changes teams.
I’m told #Bucs could be a posb destination for impending FA WR Desean Jackson. Understanding is Jameis Winston has an existing rapport w/ DJ
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) February 21, 2017
Jackson and the Buccaneers are a match made in heaven. I wrote last week about my own preference for Pierre Garcon, but the Bucs cannot go wrong with Jackson, the undisputed fastest player in football. Buccaneer receivers were last in yards-after-catch last season and had zero competent down-field speed. Jackson cures that instantly, and forces defenses to allocate resources that they may have otherwise used to slow down Mike Evans.
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Despite being 30, Jackson has yet to lose much of a step and led the NFL in yards per catch last season with 17.9. His overall stats – 56 catches, 1005 yards, 4 touchdowns – are modest, but a player with speed like Jackson can affect the game without even touching the football.
Anderson’s note that Jameis Winston and DeSean Jackson are already acquaintances is exactly the type of immeasurable asset that Winston brought to the Buccaneers when he was drafted. It’s pretty clear that players around the league, particularly receivers, want to be teammates with Winston, which will help the Bucs free agent endeavors for years to come.
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Exactly how much money the Buccaneers would need to pony up for Jackson is still up in the air. We’ve seen reports ranging from 7 million to 9 million, but anything in that area is reasonable for a talent like Jackson, considering how desperate the Buccaneers are for speed.