Some league observers think that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won’t be cutting quarterback Josh Johnson because they don’t want to bail on a fifth-round draft pick from a season ago.
That likely won’t be a consideration, given that the Bucs have announced the release of 2008 second-round selection Dexter Jackson.
The undersized speedster (he ran a sub-4.3 at the Scouting Combine) from Appalachian State, who had a key role in the Mountaineers’ miraculous 2007 upset of Michigan, had more fumbles (one) than catches (none) as a rookie, and he had zero receptions during the 2008 preseason, thanks to an ankle injury.
Per Pewter Report, Jackson was stripped of his return duties after only seven games last year.
The move comes despite the fact, as Pewter Report points out, that Jackson is due to receive a guaranteed base salary of $450,000 this year.
Jackson will be subject to waivers. If someone claims him, the new team will pick up his contract. If Jackson isn’t claimed, he’ll be a free agent -- and the Bucs will receive a credit for any base salary he gets from his new team.
UPDATE: A league source tells us that the guarantee actually comes in 2011, and that the money is due in the next 30 days. Per the source, there’s no offset language applicable to any money Jackson earns in 2011 from another team. (Basically, the guarantee was aimed at backing up the one-time playing-time incentive.) So the Bucs will avoid the guarantee only if another team claims Jackson’s contract on waivers.