Vincent Jackson remains one of the best players on the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. With Mike Evans being inconsistent at best, Jackson has emerged as the best target for whoever is under center. So naturally, many assume Jackson is available for trading as the Buccaneers slowly begin to think about next season. The veteran wide receiver has a contract not favorable to a rebuilding team which is why Tampa Bay is getting so much interest before the Oct. 28 deadline.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport was the first to report that the Buccaneers were actively shopping Vincent Jackson before the trade deadline. The team denied the idea that they would be getting rid of their best offensive weapon, but Rapoport is noting that the team has received a lot of interest in the past few days which could push them to make a move soon.
"I'm told general manager Jason Licht is receiving a ton of calls from several teams with interest in Vincent Jackson mainly because of his talents and because he's been in a couple different systems," Rapoport wrote.
Jackson is approaching 32 with a contract that will be a $12.2 million hit in 2015. The Buccaneers might not have any interest in keeping that on the pay roll when they have a lot of holes to fill on the roster. An offseason deal could be hard to come by while targeting a contending team before the deadline could give them the best return. For his part, Jackson prefers to start in Tampa Bay.
"In this business, those kind of things get talked about quite often . Each and every year, there's going to be guys moved around to different teams," Jackson said, via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. "I'm not surprised by it. Obviously I appreciate teams' interest, but I'm happy here in Tampa. I've heard nothing here that would suggest I'm going anywhere. I'm going to let that pass on and keep doing my job."
Several teams could be calling about Jackson. The New Orleans Saints are currently working in a struggling NFC South with a very real shot at making the playoffs despite having a losing record. With Jimmy Graham limited due to injury and the wide receiving corps struggling, Jackson would be a huge upgrade. The same goes for the New York Giants who just lost Victor Cruz and are not relying on Odell Beckham Jr and Rueben Randle to carry the load. The Patriots have had their name tossed in as well, but the move does not fit their typical season game plan.
