UPDATED 6:50 PM ET: PewterReport.com has an update on the Bucs’ pursuit of Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who is expected to be a highly coveted player when free agency officially kicks off on Thursday, March 9.

Washington Post Redskins beat writer Master Tesfatsion writes that the Redskins are not expected to re-sign Jackson.

One of the big factors is the fact that Washington is rumored to to trade quarterback Kirk Cousins, who has been given the franchise tag, to San Francisco.

After a number of reports over the previous few days, including PewterReport.com, about the Bucs interest in the talented star, Ian Rapaport said to the NFL Network on Tuesday that the Bucs harbor the “most” interest, saying, “It is real and it is legitimate.”

PewterReport.com has confirmed the interest in Jackson is genuine, but doesn’t plan on getting into a bidding war that skyrockets his price. 

As reported by the Tampa Bay Times, Bucs QB Jameis Winston said earlier this year he wants Jackson as a teammate.

“I have met him (Jackson) before. You better believe we want DeSean here,” Winston said. “I think he would be a great asset to our team. Me growing up an Eagles fan, seeing what he did for the Eagles and back in his Cal days and even with the Redskins, I would love to have DeSean.”

Tesfatsion claims that Eagles, Patriots and Cowboys are expected to join the Bucs in pursuing Jackson. The Eagles selected Jackson in the second round in the 2008 NFL Draft, and there is some interest there from Jackson, who has said publicly he’s open to returning to Philly.

Dallas faces salary cap problems, but restructured linebacker Sean Lee’s contract to free up some cap room, and could release or trade quarterback Tony Romo for even more.

The Bucs have the third-most salary cap room in the league at just under $65 million, according to OverTheCap.com. The Patriots have under $56 million, while the Eagles and Cowboys are among the teams with the least amount of cap room. As of 7:00 pm ET Philadelphia had nearly $6.5 million in cap room, while Dallas had $8.3 million prior to Lee’s restructuring.

If the Patriots are truly interested in pursuing Jackson, it won’t be easy for the Bucs to land him without overpaying a bit. As much of a draw of playing with Jameis Winston is – he’s not five-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. Jackson is expected to fetch north of $10 million per year.

While Jackson is 30 years old, his production has been still been outstanding, averaging 17.9 yards perception and notching his fifth career 1,000 yard season. The Bucs were on the only team in 2016 to not have a pass play over 50 yards and the dynamic of Jackson’s speed, combined with Mike Evans on the other side, and Cam Brate working the middle of the field would create nightmares for opposing defensive coordinators. 

In his SR’s Fab 5 column, PewterReport.com’s Scott Reynolds reported back in January that the Bucs would be interested in Jackson due to his speed and playmaking ability.