Buccaneers “Making A Push” To Trade For Veteran Receiver

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports is reporting that the Buccaneers are “making a push” to trade for a veteran receiver ahead of the upcoming trade deadline.

According to La Canfora, the Bucs are willing to move a draft pick and/or CB Johnthan Banks or Alterraun Verner for the right guy. Although, La Canfora admits that the contract for Banks and Verner make it hard to trade either player.

Verner is in the third year of his four-year, $25.5 million contract and stands to make a base salaries of $6.75 million and $6.5 million over the next two years. As for Banks, he’s in the final year of his four-year, $4.726 million rookie contract, so he’s the more affordable of the two.

As for receivers who could be available for trade, La Canfora mentions Torrey Smith of the 49ers and Alshon Jeffery of the Bears as two players worth keeping an eye on.

The Buccaneers will likely have some competition for Smith and Jeffery, given that the Eagles have been linked to both of them in recent days.

Tampa Bay unfortunately lost veteran Vincent Jackson to a knee injury and placed him on injured reserve a few weeks ago.

Smith, 27, is a former second-round pick of the Ravens back in 2011. He’s currently in the second year of his five-year, $40 million contract that includes $22 million guaranteed and is set to make a base salary of $4.5 million for the 2016 season.

In 2016, Smith has appeared in seven games for the 49ers and caught 13 passes for 199 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 107 receiver out of 108 qualifying players.

Jeffery, 26, was taken in the second-round of the 2012 NFL draft by the Bears. He played out the final year of his four-year, $4.54 million rookie contract that included a $1.74 million signing bonus before receiving the team’s franchise tag.

The franchise tag will run the Bears $14.599 million guaranteed for the 2016 season.

In 2016, Jeffery has appeared in seven games and caught 32  passes for 520 yards receiving and no touchdowns for the Bears. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 26 receiver out of 108 qualifying players.

We’ll have more regarding a potential involving the Buccaneers as the news is available.