TAMPA — Even at 3-4 and with another quarterback change, from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Jameis Winston and now back to Fitzpatrick, the Bucs believe they still are very much in the hunt for a playoff spot. Why wouldn't they feel that way? The Bucs have the NFL's No. 1 total offense (467.6 yards per game) and top passing offense (376.3 ypg). That means they can keep up with any team in the league during a time when offense is king. For that reason, the Bucs have no intention of trading receiver DeSean Jackson, who is second on the team with 594 yards and four touchdowns. His 22.8 yard average is the best in the NFL. RELATED: More Bucs coverage The NFL trade deadline is at 4 p.m. today. Bucs general manager Jason Licht made that clear during his pre-game segment Sunday on the Bucs radio network. "I can say that my job and our job here is to field the best roster that we can to win games, and DeSean is a huge, huge part of that, not just today, but for the rest of the season," Licht said. You can also forget about any notion that Winston will be on the move. While he will be the No. 2 quarterback Sunday at Carolina, the club hasn't given up on him and with nine games remaining, there's a chance he could play again this season. So if the Bucs aren't going to be big sellers, how about buyers? It's possible, but more unlikely than likely. The Bucs need help on defense, particularly in the secondary. Safety Chris Conte and cornerback Vernon Hargreaves are on injured reserve. Cornerback M.J. Stewart suffered an ankle injury in Sunday's game at Cincinnati. The problem is, a lot of teams are looking to upgrade the same position. Another possible target would be running back and offensive guard. Rookie Ronald Jones could miss a couple games with a hamstring injury and the Bucs haven't run the ball very well this season. The Bucs have alternated Caleb Benenoch and Evan Smith at right guard, but they do have rookie Alex Cappa waiting in the wings. Anything is possible, but acquiring draft picks for parting with a player or two won't help the Bucs this season. It could be quiet at the deadline for the Bucs. Contact Rick Stroud at rstroud@tampabay.com. Follow @NFLStroud<doc-sep>News broke early Sunday morning Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson has asked the team to trade him ahead of this Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. From our @NFLGameDay Kickoff Show: #Bucs WR DeSean Jackson requests a trade, one that all-in Tampa Bay has resisted. Details pic.twitter.com/pFfoACX62a — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 28, 2018 There are plenty of discussions happening about whether or not the team should or should not trade him, with ESPN’s Jenna Laine providing some insight into the front office’s position on the matter. Regarding NFL Network report that DeSean Jackson has requested to be traded: the Bucs are in ‘win now' mode. Even though the deep-ball chemistry between DeSean Jackson and Jameis Winston isn't what it was with Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Bucs want to see... https://t.co/35XYlyrx5g — JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) October 28, 2018 First things first, we can probably rest assured the team will not trade him to a team they still have to face in the 2018 season. This eliminates not only their division rivals, but the Washington Redskins, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys. There are however, 22 other teams who could potentially pursue the speedy veteran who has shown this year he still has big play ability. Who are they, and what could the Bucs get in return? Looking along the lines Laine reported on, Tampa Bay would likely be looking for a player in return who can help the team win this year, with added bonus to players or picks who could also help the franchise win in the future. TRADE PARTNER: GREEN BAY PACKERS The Packers are in a sensitive position given the fact Aaron Rodgers is 34-years old and has been injured many times over the past few seasons. Still, there is a feeling within the franchise they can compete in today’s NFL. Less than stellar defensive play and some inconsistency on offense has plagued Green Bay and forced the team to have to outshoot opponents more often than not. Adding a weapon to Rodgers’ arsenal would help, and if they feel losing safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in exchange for such a weapon, a deal could be found. Tampa Bay currently has four safeties on the roster with veteran Chris Conte lost for the year. Outside of Justin Evans, none have a secure hold on the other starting position. Injecting a player like Clinton-Dix not only gives him a chance to regain his Pro Bowl form from 2016, but may provide the Bucs an opportunity to secure the back end of their defense now and for years to come. TRADE PARTNER: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS The Patriots are not scared of trading high draft picks for players they feel can get them over the hump right now. New England currently sits on top of the AFC East, but the age of Tom Brady, long-term health of tight end Rob Gronkowski and uncertain outlook of head coach Bill Belichick could find this team buying high to get a guy who can give them that little bit extra. Brady’s longest pass this season is 55-yards. Jackson has longs of 58, 75 and 48 in three separate games. Josh Gordon has shown some flashes in the new system, but could benefit greatly from gaining another running mate, as could slot extraordinaire Julian Edelman. Adding Jackson would give New England arguably the most electric offense in the NFL and help sustain the career shelf-life of the quarterback. In exchange, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would likely be looking at an addition by subtraction situation where Chris Godwin and Adam Humphries see expanded roles in the offense. Added draft picks would aid in plugging any future holes starting in 2019. For a front office unsure of their job security in 2019, this would be one of the more surprising moves due to the lack of impact player brought in for 2018. But, given the rapport Winston already has with Humphries and the improved connection we’ve seen in short periods between he and Godwin from 2017, it could happen. TRADE PARTNER: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES This is one of the more popular destinations for Jackson to land as a return to Philadelphia would certainly become one of the bigger stories in the league this year. Philadelphia hasn’t come back from their Super Bowl run with the greatest success this year, but they are still very much in the mix for an NFC East division title and post-season berth. They’re well aware of what Jackson can do, and can still do, after witnessing his four catch 129-yard and one touchdown effort against them in Week 2 of this very season. What would the Eagles offer up? Well, unfortunately it doesn’t seem they have a whole lot to offer the Buccaneers which would help in an area of need. There are some intriguing young cornerbacks the Eagles could potentially leverage in a package with a mid to late round draft pick. However, all of the corners in question have had issues themselves and could bust as much as they could fly in Tampa Bay’s secondary. TRADE PARTNER: DALLAS COWBOYS Gross. Seeing Jackson in a Redskins uniform was one thing, but seeing him in a Cowboys uniform would be something suitable for Halloween. Still, the Dallas Cowboys aren’t calling this season in and are still trying to find things to do to help quarterback Dak Prescott get back on track. Trading a first-round pick for wide receiver Amari Cooper will help, but there’s more which could be done. Stretching the field will not only help Prescott and his new target, but it would also help running back Ezekiel Elliott continue his solid start to his career. The Cowboys have scored just three points more than the New York Giants who sat at 1-6 entering Week 8. While Dallas’ record is much better than the Giants’, they can’t be confident in what they have going right now.<doc-sep>Despite some recent rumblings, the 2018 NFL trade deadline came and went without a single deal struck by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The main target of trade rumors in Tampa Bay was veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson, but the 31-year-old speedster will remain with the team for the rest of the 2018 season. Jackson staying with the Bucs could have something to do with the fact that other veteran receivers like Demariyus Thomas and Golden Tate found new homes, thus eliminating potential destinations that would have made sense for D-Jax. While Jackson did finally connect with Jameis Winston for the elusive deep touchdown, he’s likely to be thrilled about the Bucs handing the starting quarterback job back to Ryan Fitzpatrick. With Winston suspended for the first three games of the regular season, Fitzpatrick and Jackson were an unstoppable force. After that three-game stretch, Jackson led the NFL in receiving yards, but his numbers have come crashing back to earth since Winston returned. Tampa Bay’s lack of action is likely to be met with frustration on both sides of the team’s fan base, from those who hoped they would add a key player to help make a playoff run, to those who would have preferred moving a veteran player for some future draft capital.<doc-sep>The 2018 NFL trade deadline is just a few days away. If Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson gets his way, he'll be playing elsewhere by the middle of next week. According to a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Jackson requested a trade away from Tampa. The Bucs, however, have so far refused to honor that request. Jackson has been working alongside Mike Evans and second-year wideout Chris Godwin in three-receiver sets, but lately has seen Godwin move ahead of him when the Bucs go to two-wide looks. He signed in Tampa on a three-year, $33.5 million contract prior to last season. Jackson disappointed during his first year with the Bucs, catching 50 passes for 668 yards and three scores. He got off to a hot start to this season with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center but has cooled down considerably since Jameis Winston resumed the starting role. Jackson has this year and next left on his contract, but there is no guaranteed money remaining on his deal so any team that trades for him could easily could him next offseason and wide his 2019 salary off the books. He's owed the prorated portion of $11 million base salary this year, and $10 million in 2019. A team looking to add some deep speed to its roster could check in on Jackson, and the Eagles (his former team) have been floated as a possible landing spot in recent weeks. Philly signed Mike Wallace this offseason to bring a speed element to its offense, but he has been injured for most of the year.<doc-sep>
Jim Luzzi/Getty Images Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson has reportedly requested to be dealt before Tuesday's trade deadline, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who cited a lack of chemistry between Jackson and quarterback Jameis Winston as the basis for the request. Rapoport added that the 3-3 Bucs do not want to trade Jackson and are in win-now mode. Jackson, 31, is having a strong season, registering 23 receptions for 526 yards and three touchdowns. But he's established a better rapport with Ryan Fitzpatrick, posting 12 catches for 312 yards and three touchdowns with Fitzpatrick under center in the team's first three games. Last year, with Winston starting 13 games, Jackson notched just 50 catches for 668 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games. For a Buccaneers team in the postseason conversation, dealing Jackson wouldn't be ideal for head coach Dirk Koetter, whose seat must surely be feeling hot these days. Still, Rapoport noted that Jackson "is making $11 million this year and has an unguaranteed $10 million next year. That contract could be tradable. And in some situations, the Bucs may want to shed the salary with a 3-3 record and sitting in third place in the division, nevermind highly paid Mike Evans and budding star Chris Godwin." Video Play Button Videos you might like If Jackson is on the market, teams in need of a downfield threat should have interest. His former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, would be a logical suitor, given that Mike Wallace was put on injured reserve with a broken leg and was expected to fill a field-stretching role.