Written by Greg Auman at Tampa Bay Times
It isn’t final, and won’t be official until after 4 p.m., but the Bucs are finalizing a deal to sign Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson, adding a proven playmaker to Jameis Winston’s passing game.
Jackson, 30, has teased to his future, posting on Instagram on Wednesday night that he was “heading 2 …” without disclosing where. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport were the first to report a deal was being finalized.
The contract is expected to pay Jackson in excess of $10-million a year, putting him behind Gerald McCoy and close to Lavonte David among the Bucs’ highest-paid players, but still less than the receiver he’s replacing, Vincent Jackson, who just finished a five-year, $55-million deal.
Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said his offense needed to add playmakers, and Jackson led the NFL in yards per catch among receivers with more than 25 catches — the Bucs were the only team in the NFL without a pass play of 50 yards or more, and Jackson will help change that in 2017.
Winston had openly lobbied for Jackson, saying two weeks ago that “We want DeSean. You better believe we want DeSean here. I think he would be a great asset to our team. Me growing up an Eagles fan, seeing what he did for the Eagles and back in his Cal days and even with the Redskins, I would love to have DeSean.”
Jackson was a second-round pick of the Eagles in 2008 when current Bucs general manager Jason Licht was Philadelphia’s vice president of player personnel. He needs two catches to have 500 in his career, and also has 46 career touchdowns.
To continue reading this article, click here.
