Tampa Bay Buccaneers actively seeking trade partner for DeSean Jackson

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to move on from disgruntled wide receiver DeSean Jackson, seeking out a trade partner for the 32-year-old veteran.

According to Jenna Laine of ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are actively looking to deal disgruntled wide receiver DeSean Jackson. These reports came to light just hours before teams can legally tamper with free agents, starting at 12:00pm EST.

Laine goes on to state in her report that Jackson has a preferred place to land: his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles as he wishes to play for a team that he sees as a contender. It appears a reunion could be in store as Laine writes that the Eagles, too, have interest in their second round pick from 2008.

However, it is unclear if Philadelphia is interested at Jackson with his current salary, or only if he is released and they are open to negotiate with him at a lower cost. While the Bucs are shopping Jackson, Laine states:

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"“A trade would be preferred by the Bucs, but some teams ESPN has spoken to believe Jackson will be released rather than traded” (via Laine)"

This should not be a surprise that Jackson and the Bucs appear to be headed for a divorce after FanSided’s Matt Verderame’s report that Jackson was the cause of a good deal of conflict in the locker room, especially with quarterback Jameis Winston. Verderame also reported that Jackson is unwilling to take a pay cut to stay in Tampa Bay.

If Jackson were moved, it would free up an extra $10 million in cap space for the Bucs, a team in desperate need of some spending flexibility as free agency is set to begin as they find themselves in a financial bind after shelling out big money to left tackle Donovan Smith. At 32-years-old, Jackson is still a burner, on the field and of holes in the pockets of the Buccaneers.

While Tampa is seeking compensation in return for Jackson the week of free agency, this is usually a precursor to a player being released, and this looks like the likely conclusion of the Jackson saga as well. It appears like his days in Tampa Bay are numbered.

Times are about to get wild with free agency vastly approaching and Tampa Bay struggling for cap space; expect to see a flurry of moves in order to give the Bucs some extra money to spend, starting with Jackson.