FA Target: WR Desean Jackson

It's starting to get closer to that time where we start getting a idea of what direction teams are going to take during the off-season. For the Bucs it is pretty simple as they have to add more weapons on offense for Jameis Winston and company. The unit needs more speed and dynamic playmakers to compliment Mike Evans and Cameron Brate. Recently, I mention the possibility of signing Redskins WR Pierre Garcon who is set to become a free agent as he could be a solid number two option for the Bucs. However in the article, I also mention Desean Jackson who is also a free agent and is already a hot topic among Bucs fans as they really want more speed added to the team. Well earlier today, Espn's Josina Anderson got Bucs fans excited with this tweet about a possible connection with the Bucs and Desean Jackson.

I’m told #Bucs could be a posb destination for impending FA WR Desean Jackson. Understanding is Jameis Winston has an existing rapport w/ DJ

— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) February 21, 2017

This just shows what kind of man Jameis Winston is as it looks like he has build multiple connections through his football career. This also shows that many veterans around the league respect his game and wouldn't mind being on his team. I think adding a player like Desean Jackson would be a solid move for the Bucs as he could be that veteran WR plus provide speed that can open up the field for Mike Evans to operate. With that being said, Jackson has been on record that he would like to stay in Washington but also left the door open to go elsewhere as well per Redskins.com.

“I do want to still be here,” Jackson said Thursday, via Redskins.com. “My family and my house, I have everything here and I don’t want to be in a transaction and move. First things first, I do want to be here and hopefully we can make it work. But once again this is a business so things happen. I’m just really excited about the opportunity I have to sit and now the ball’s in my corner a little bit and see what we can do. I’m just excited and I’m going to let my agent care of all that. Ready to just sit back and whatever offers come in but obviously, like I said, I do want to be here.”

Jackson is coming off a 1000 yard season in which he averaged 18 yards per catch which still shows even at age 30, he has the speed to make big plays downfield. Critics tend to point out his size and injury concerns but I would say he has done a good job to overcome those and only missed one game last season. I feel Jackson could have the type of impact that a former Buc had back from 2005 to 2007 if healthy. That former Buc would be Joey Galloway who put up three consecutive 1000 yard seasons and at the time was the Bucs go to guy. He did this while being in his mid 30's and without much help as well. Galloway was the offense for the Bucs during that time and that was with Brian Griese, Chris Sims, and Jeff Garcia as his QB.

 

I think Jackson can make a similar impact as he still has top notch speed and is in great shape. 

Plus he will have a coach who can scheme to his strengths and a legit number one Wr next to him in Mike Evans which will allow Jackson to face single coverage which is already a mismatch. Now some would say the Bucs need someone younger and with more size who has a bigger catch radius since Jameis struggles with the deep ball. Those are valid points and there are signs that Dirk Koetter's offense does work better with bigger wideouts and Jameis is used to taller targets i.e Mike Evans, Kelvin Benjamin. However, I feel Desean is a rare athlete and would only make this offense better and ultimately help Jameis grow as a QB and take that step towards elite.

With Jameis and Desean already having that connection, it should help the Bucs if they do decide to target Jackson in free agency. I have said multiple times that the Bucs are going to add multiple receivers this off-season and getting a player like Desean Jackson wouldn't be a bad start. Now there will be competition for his services as he will have multiple suitors so it could come down to how much the Bucs are willing to pay and if they think he is the right fit for the team. I say the Bucs will be definitely one of the first teams to call Jackson once free agency begins.

1st Edition: Real Bucs Talk Mailbag

by Douglas O'Connor
follow me on Twitter @Ren_Daxt by clicking HERE 

      Here at RBT we spend a great deal of time on Twitter answering questions and talking Bucs football. Sometimes we feel that 140 characters isn't enough to let you know exactly what we are thinking and/or saying. So we created The Mailbag. Tweet out your Buccaneers questions with the #RBTMB and get your inquires answered with the thoroughness it deserves.

     What's the best way to handle the Mike Evans contract? Renegotiate now or wait one or possibly two more years and try to resign him then?

     Good question. I guess it comes down to what's best for the team, long term salary wise, and what's best for Mike. On one hand the Buccaneers would save a ton of money over the next two years if they decided to let Evans contract play out. On the other hand there is no question that Mike has out played his rookie deal and deserves a big pay raise. Plus, in the long run the sooner the Bucs sign Evans to a long term deal the cheaper he is going to be. My guess is that Evans gets his big contract this off season and here's why.

     Mike Greenberg, Directer of Football Administration, which is a fancy word for capologist, which in turn is another fancy word for accountant, has overseen, with GM Jason Licht four long term deals. Gerald McCoy, Lavonte Davis, Doug Martin and J.R. Sweezy. With all these contracts Greenberg has front loaded the deals with all the guaranteed money so if something goes awry after two years or so i.e. serious injury, dramatic drop of in play, PED suspension, the Bucs can cut bait and have zero dead money against the cap. After the 2017 season, out of these four players only Gerald McCoy will have any guaranteed money against the cap and that amount is only $500k.

     The Bucs have the cap space this year to front load a 5 year deal for Mike. A 2017 & 2018 guaranteed contract will come of the books just in time for Licht and Greenberg to front load offers to Kwon Alexander, Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet. Now is the perfect window Evans to cash in and it makes the most sense for both parties involved. Mike gets his millions two years early and the Buccaneers get his guaranteed money off the book in time for the next wave a long term deals.

     Do you think Keith Tandy's last five games are what we can expect next season or do you see him more as a flash in the pan?

     Hmmmmm... I had to think about this one for a bit. Finally after switching off from searching the web and staring blankly at my screen I think I came up with a pretty good answer. It might not be the right one but here is what I came up with.

     Tandy has been nothing more than a special teamer and fill in safety since he was drafted by the Bucs in 2012. The next year, 2013, he put up really solid numbers. Especially from a player with only 5 starts. 40 TOT, 3 PDEF, 3 Int, 1 FR and 1 FF. The next two seasons he was banished to the bench under Lovie Smith. But it's hard to put much stock in Lovie's defensive back evaluation skills, with the way his defenses were torched in the passing game. Fast forward to 2016, now under new DC Mike Smith, once Tandy hit the field his numbers only improved from 2013. 5 starts, 57 TOT, 9 PDEF, 4 INT, and 1 FR.

     It would appear that Kieth only needs a chance to prove himself and he does. I also think that it just takes longer for some players to get "it". Finally something just clicks and the game just starts to come easier for them. Whether it was about never getting a fair shake at a starting job or he finally is playing without hesitation I can't say for sure. I will say the he has earned the right to line up with the first defense on day one of training camp.

     Pierre Garcon or DeSean Jackson, which one would you rather the Bucs sign?

     The quick answer, neither!

     But in the spirit of the question and my promise to you as the RBT Mailbag guardian of opinions, here goes.

     I like to play a little game when I come up against a decision I'm struggling with. I pretend that my life is depending on it. The only rule is that I have to be honest with myself. The almighty power that is dangling over the bottomless abyss can see into my soul and will know if I'm lying. That way when I think about one answer and I feel safe, then that's the right choice. If I felt the slightest bit scared or threatened, then I know I'm lying to myself and the other answer is correct.

     It's the same thing as assigning each choice to a side of a coin and then flipping. If you are happy with the outcome then that the right choice for you. If you are disappointed then the other choice is what you should do. Get it? I hope so 'cause that the best way I can explain it.

     Now after all that it really an easy choice for me. I don't even have to flip the coin. I like Garcon and there isn't much to say about why. In my opinion Jackson is a one trick pony. If he didn't have his speed he'd be a WR4 on some NFL team. Now he's 30 and eventually his speed will disappear. It might be tomorrow, it might be in 5 years, who knows. I just don't feel comfortable with Jackson at the WR2 for the Bucs going into the season. It's just that simple.

     WINNER Pierre Garcon, by Default.

     Well that's it Buc fans, our 1st Mailbag post. Hey that was fun let's do it again, saaaay next Sunday? OK cool it's a date!

you can follow @realbucstalk on Twitter by clicking HERE   
Thanks for Reading and as Always GO BUCS!

FA Target: WR Pierre Garcon

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the Bucs and Desean Jackson as the team is definitely looking to add more speed to the offense. The team here at realbucstalk are fans of Desean Jackson as we believe he would be a solid number two behind Mike Evans, but what about his teammate as an option. Redskins WR Pierre Garcon is also a free agent to be, and could be the veteran presence and the quality number two receiver the team is looking for. Jackson would be nice to have but could have many suitors which could make him tough to acquire plus has history of injuries.

With that being said, the Bucs could target Garcon who has put up consistent numbers throughout his career and has been very reliable as he has only missed two games over the last three seasons. Garcon will be 31 in August, but has shown no signs of slowing down as he put up 79 receptions, 1,041 yds, and 3 tds. Garcon still has enough speed too as he had a long of 70 yards and can still get behind the defense if presented the opportunity. Garcon spoke recently with the washington post about that he is not a possession WR and that he is a player that can do it all to get the job done.

“I’m a football player, not a categorized football player,” Garcon continued. “I’m not one thing. I’m not a one-trick pony. I do it all, so it’s not, ‘Hey, you’re a possession receiver.’ I can go deep, I can go short, I can break tackles, I can block, I can make plays — big plays, short plays, crucial plays. It’s what I do on the field, not what box they try to put me in, especially when I was coming out of college, saying, ‘Hey, you’re a D-III player.’ Especially when I was coming from Indy, saying, ‘Hey, you’ve never been a number one receiver.’ Especially when I led the league in catches and they’re like, ‘Hey, you just got lucky because you were on a bad team.’ ”

I have stated before that the Bucs will likely add multiple receivers this off-season as they need to rebuild the wide receiver core. Signing a player like Garcon would give the Bucs offense someone who can make other teams pay when they double Mike Evans and provide another weapon for Jameis Winston. Now Garcon is going to have competition for his services according to NFLUpdate which could make him tougher to sign.

Redskins Free Agent Pierre Garcon is expected to command $9M annually.

Redskins, Rams, Eagles, Bears, Cowboys & 49ers reportedly interested

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) February 12, 2017

The same could be said for Desean Jackson so either way I would expect the Bucs to go after one of them. Personally I feel Garcon is better fit as of now with his ability to make tough catches plus still being explosive as well. If the Bucs can land a player like Garcon, and then add young dynamic receiver via the NFL draft then all of sudden the WR core looks that much better. Only 22 days until free agency, will the Bucs make a call to Mr. Garcon? I say open up the check book and see if you can get him in red and pewter.