INDIANAPOLIS -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday at the NFL combine that he has met with DeSean Jackson and expressed his desire for Jackson to remain with the team despite the wide receiver's well-documented frustrations last season and request to be traded.
"It went great. We had a long sit-down. From my perspective, it couldn't have been any better," Arians said of the talk. "You'd have to talk to DeSean to find out what his perspective is. But I thought it was great. I look forward to working with him. Ton of respect for him as a player ... and a person."
Jackson is under contract for one more season with the Bucs, but he carries a $10 million salary-cap hit with no guaranteed money, and the Bucs currently have less than $19 million in salary-cap space. Jackson has also struggled to find chemistry with quarterback Jameis Winston and has let that frustration be known to those closest to him, sources told ESPN.
Jackson publicly advocated for Ryan Fitzpatrick to continue starting last season even after Winston returned from suspension. Jackson also said last month at the Super Bowl that he wants to play with a coach and quarterback who understand the unique needs of a veteran receiver, and eventually would like to play for the Los Angeles Rams.
When general manager Jason Licht was asked about Jackson on Wednesday, he was less committal.
"I'd say all options are on the table," Licht said. "DeSean's been a great player in this league for a long time. We like speed. Bruce loves speed. He fits the bill there. He hasn't lost a step. Ideally, we'd love to have an opportunity to see what we can do to keep all our good players."
Licht was also noncommittal when asked about six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy, who carries a $13 million cap hit in 2019 and is under contract through 2021.
"Gerald's been a real productive, successful player for the Bucs -- one of the Bucs' all-time best defensive players, you could argue," Licht said. "He's under contract. Ideally, [we'd] love it if he continued to be a Buc."
ESPN's Todd Archer contributed to this report.