Vincent Jackson believes he could potentially have a role with the Buccaneers in 2017.
Vincent Jackson has been a productive member of the Buccaneers. His first three years with the team saw him go over the 1,000 yard mark in each season. It also saw him selected to the Pro Bowl once (2012). That season, Jackson led the NFL in yards per reception with 19.2.
The last two seasons, however, have not been kind to “VJax”. Thanks to the injury bug, Jackson has only been active for 15 games over that span, posting a mere 713 yards. He has been a shell of himself, and at times in 2016, he looked disinterested. There were pass routes that he wasn’t fully committed to, and appeared as the 30-something wide receiver that he is.
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The resounding opinion has been that Jackson, not currently under contract, would not be with the team in 2017. The Bucs have gone out and signed DeSean Jackson, clearly the guy to be Mike Evans‘ number two.
There also is talk of the Bucs improving the depth chart through the upcoming NFL draft. Guys like Corey Davis and John Ross have come across the lips of some. Others believe they will approach the position later in the draft. But the majority believe there will be upgrades coming.
The resounding opinion regarding Vincent Jackson has been that he won’t be around in the 2017 season. He isn’t under contract and the Bucs would be using the money elsewhere. But Jackson believes that he could have a role. He was on WDAE-AM 620, and here is what he said on the subject (via Joe Bucs Fan):
"“I’m very dynamic as far as what I’ve done in the past throughout my career, you know, playing outside inside, having mismatches against safeties and things in the slot. So I pride myself on being a receiver that not only can just stretch the field on the outside one-on-one, but can run those intermediate routes, those third-down routes that can keep drives alive. Dirk’s a very, very smart guy. You know, I’m sure that he would put plenty of work in with Jameis and our offensive coordinator to put everybody in the best position to be successful. So, you know, there’s a lot of different things I could bring to the table.”"
Let’s talk about this for a minute. This likely doesn’t change anything as far as the Bucs plans for Jackson. They are going with DeSean and a youth movement. But, there are a couple of possibilities here.
This could be Jackson looking to garner attention for himself from other teams. After all, we haven’t heard his name much in connection with free agent visits. If teams believe he wants to go back to the Bucs, it might get their attention before he has the chance. Who knows?
And, they could bring back Jackson after week one. Being a “vested” veteran (player in the league longer than 3.5 years), if he is signed after week one, his salary is not guaranteed for the season. They could sign him for the league minimum and release him if things don’t work out. Still a possibility.
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Would you guys like to see Jackson back in 2017? Let me know…