Prior to the trade deadline, reports popped up that DeSean Jackson had asked for a trade out of Tampa Bay. Bucs General Manager Jason Licht was quick to say Jackson wasn’t going anywhere.
But when Jackson himself spoke about it for the first time since the deadline, he didn’t exactly deny it.
“Whatever them conversations were, they were between us,” Jackson said when asked if he requested a deal, via Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. “It’s over and done with now, and I’m looking forward. We’ve got eight games left to continue to try our best to get in the playoffs and win here.”
So, there’s that.
Jackson’s production has tailed off sharply since the first few weeks of the season, when he had three 100-yard games in the first four. Over the last four games, he’s averaging 50 yards per game and they’re no longer winning.
“I don’t see it as frustration. It’s just knowing what’s in this locker room, knowing the players we have all across the board, and knowing how talented it can be,” Jackson said. “It did show early on. That’s the frustration. So not being able to have the results the past three or four games, whatever the number is, that’s been more of the frustration for me.
“It’s not individual, it’s more accomplishing what we all want to accomplish. It’s winning football games and being in the games and not shooting ourselves in the foot and getting behind. I think we’re all putting it on ourselves and we’re not playing complementary football. We need to play complementary football — offense, defense and special teams. That’s what drives my frustrations, because I know what we’re capable of doing. I know the players we have in this locker room, so it’s really about getting the opportunities and making the most out of them.”
They’ve at least shown an ability to come back, and now that Ryan Fitzpatrick is back in the starting quarterback role, things may turn around for both Jackson and the Bucs.