The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... The Buccaneers want to keep Jackson in the equation as they attempt to bounce back from a miserable 2014 season. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported Sunday that Jackson will return in 2015 at his base salary of $9.78 million.
Diehards Line:
The report jibes with the previous report by Profootballtalk.com and what we heard at the combine from GM Jason Licht, who said Jackson, 32, would "absolutely" be back for a fourth season in Tampa. Jackson, unlike other big-ticket Bucs players in recent years, has lived up to his contract with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. There had been speculation that the Bucs would approach Jackson about restructuring his contract. He carries a $12.2 million cap hit in 2015, one of the highest figures for a wide receiver. ... As NFL.com notes, Jackson and Mike Evans make up one of the best 1-2 wide receiver combinations in football. If the Bucs take Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick -- as many suspect -- he'll land in a very nice situation in the playmaker department.