Vincent Jackson downplays injury, says he'd be playing in playoffs

Vincent Jackson had a disappointing and injury-marred season. For the first time in four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he failed to post 1,000 receiving yards, catching just 33 passes for 543 yards and three touchdown in ten games. He missed six games with knee injuries and ended the season on injured reserve.

Thankfully, it seems those injuries aren't overly serious. Jackson told James Lofton and Bruce Murray on Sirius XM that he would have played in the postseason had he (h/t JoeBucsFan). He won't require surgery and the injuries were just "unfortunate."

That's good news for Jackson and the Bucs, though it remains to be seen whether the veteran will remain on the roster. The Bucs can save nearly $10 million by releasing him, money they could use to get a younger, more explosive receiver in free agency. The Bucs won't have to make that decision until the regular season starts, though they will have to make it sooner if they want to actually spend that money in free agency.