Signs point towards Buccaneers, DeSean Jackson divorce

DeSean Jackson’s time in Tampa Bay hasn’t gone as planned. The Buccaneers could cut ties with the veteran wideout this offseason.

DeSean Jackson and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers felt like a match made in heaven in 2017. The Bucs were an offseason darling with a young quarterback and a high-powered offensive attack.

The addition of Jackson added a new wrinkle into the offense. Jameis Winston would have another talented weapon at his disposal. With Jackson in tow, opposing secondaries wouldn’t have any answers for the Tampa Bay receiving corps

That connection never came to fruition, and almost two years later, Jackson’s future in Tampa Bay is in doubt.

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Both Buccaneers quarterbacks struggled to connect with Jackson down the field throughout his time in Tampa. With an option to cut Jackson before next season, Tampa Bay will likely choose to save money, rather than continue the failed experiment.

Last week alone, Jackson was running wide open on multiple occasions, but Winston either overthrew him or flat-out missed him. That’s been the case with Jackson for most of his time in Tampa Bay.

Aside from the first four weeks of this season, where Jackson was among the lead league in receiving yards — including three 100-yard receiving performances during that stretch.

Otherwise, Jackson has been ineffective.

Matters were made worse this week after Jackson took to Instagram to voice his displeasure of the Buccaneers situation. Keep in mind; this was posted after the victory over San Francisco.

The comment struck a cord in the fan base. Fans were rightfully frustrated that a player publically stated that he wanted out of town.

The social media post is only a small part as to why the Bucs will decide to part ways with Jackson at the end of the season.

Money is the biggest problem with Jackson.

Jackson signed a 3-year, $33.5 million deal in March of 2017. The Bucs can’t afford to pay a receiver over $10 million in 2019 with so many other needs to fill. There’s no doubt that Jackson still has plenty of talent, but if the quarterbacks can’t get him the ball downfield, it isn’t an effective use of cap space.

Tampa Bay spends more on the wide receiver position than any other team in the league, according to overthecap.com. Their $34 million in spending at the unit isn’t sustainable.

The Bucs have answers at wideout. They locked Evans in through 2024, Chris Godwin has two years left on his rookie contract, and Adam Humphries should cost only a fraction of what Jackson will be due.

Although Jackson’s numbers make it seem like he is slowing down, the veteran still finds himself with nothing but green grass in front of him. Take Sunday’s game, for example; he was waving his hand to signal how open he was.

He has earned plenty of targets of late as well, garnering 23 targets over the last three contests. Head coach Dirk Koetter continues to try and get him involved in the offense.

On paper, Jackson appeared to be a perfect fit in the Bucs offense, but it wasn’t meant to be. Look for Jackson to end up in another uniform in 2019.