Wide receiver Vincent Jackson turned 34 in January and has missed 17 games over the last two seasons, but neither of those facts appear to be giving him pause about continuing his NFL career.
Adam Caplan of ESPN reports that Jackson plans to play in 2017. He will become a free agent next week unless he signs a new contract with the Buccaneers before the start of the new league year.
Neither Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht nor coach Dirk Koetter ruled out a return when asked about Jackson during their media sessions at the Scouting Combine this week. Licht said that there have been conversations with Jackson and both men praised the player and person Jackson has been during his time with the team.
That said, the Bucs will likely be in the market for a bit more reliability at the receiver spot opposite Mike Evans next season. Jackson hasn’t been particularly productive when he’s been in the lineup in the last two seasons and that makes it difficult to put too many eggs in his basket moving forward.