Report: Jackson won’t take pay cut, said to be at odds with Winston

Veteran receiver DeSean Jackson has been known for being a selfish NFL player throughout his career in the league. And when he signed with the Buccaneers two seasons ago, it was expected that he bring those same selfish talents with him.

Well, he has.

A report by FanSided’s Matt Verderame claims that Jackson is not only unwilling to take a pay cut, but he has not had the best QB-WR relationship with Bucs’ franchise quarterback Jameis Winston.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Jackson and Winston were at odds for much of the 2018 season. Jackson, 32, struggled to work well with the embattled quarterback, something that could expedite his departure from the Buccaneers this offseason. Tampa Bay has tough decisions to make, approximately looking at $17.51 million of cap space this spring.

Going forward, the understanding is that Jackson is unwilling to take a pay cut to remain with the Buccaneers.

The rocky relationship between Jackson and Winston is no secret. There were rumblings of this during the season, especially the week former head coach Dirk Koetter revealed he sat both of them down for a talk.

However, if Jackson is truly unwilling to take a reduced salary and not be willing to work things out between he and Winston, then the Buccaneers should part ways with the receiver.

Head coach Bruce Arians told Bucs Nation’s James Yarcho this week at the NFL Combine that he felt talks went well with the 32-year-old receiver, but to ask Jackson to see how he feels talks went. That’s typically code for both parties not really seeing eye-to-eye during the conversation.

This situation could get interesting.