Buccaneers will sign DeSean Jackson barring breakdown in negotiations

Looks like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will get that explosive wide receiver they’ve been looking for when free agency opens at 4:00 p.m. ET today. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Bucs are ‘expected’ to sign Jackson — which is code for ‘a deal is basically done, just gotta wait to be allowed to officially sign it’.

Adam Schefter of ESPN confirms, adding the caveat of “assuming no final breakdown in negotiations.”

The Bucs have been linked to DeSean Jackson for weeks now, and he fits what they need and what they like to do. Jackson is not a top-of-the-market free agent but still a productive one, with one very important and rare skill: ridiculous speed.

The Bucs lacked explosive ability on offense last season, being the only team not to produce a 50+-yard passing play. Jackson, meanwhile, led the league in receiving yards per catch in two of the last three years, and is a deep threat — almost exclusively a deep threat, in fact, which will make it interesting to see how they fit him into their offense.

One thing’s certain: Jameis Winston had better start practicing his deep passes.