The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might have one of the most talented wide receiver rooms in the NFL in 2025 — so much so that some players who won’t get snaps for them could very well find a home on other teams.
The latest name to face an uncertain future is a familiar name with wide receiver Rakim Jarrett, who was released on August 24 after 2 seasons with Tampa Bay.
Jarrett was the first of the talented receivers to be let go.
“First cut at receiver — Jarrett had just two catches on eight targets in preseason,” Fox Sports NFL Reporter Greg Auman wrote on August 24. “Could easily land on another 53.”
Jarrett was a special teams standout in 2023 and 2024, even settling into a role as a return specialist in 2024. Over the last 2 seasons, Jarrett played in 20 games with 325 all purpose yards. He had 9 receptions for 124 yards in 2024 and made his first 2 career starts.
“Former Terp Rakim Jarrett has been released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” Inside Maryland Sports wrote on its official X account. “While it’s safe to assume the Bucs would like to bring Jarrett back as a member of the practice squad, it will be interesting to see if he lands on another team’s 53-man roster.”
Jarrett landed with the Buccaneers after he went undrafted out of Maryland in 2023.
“Rakim Jarrett is going to end up on someone else’s 53,” X user Marc Magana wrote. “Multiple years of being a solid depth piece.”
Underwhelming Season Killed Jarrett’s Draft Stock
Jarrett, 6-foot and 192 pounds, seemed like he was on track to become an NFL draft pick after his sophomore season in 2021, when he had 62 receptions for 829 yards and 5 touchdowns in 13 games. In 2022, those numbers dipped to 40 receptions for 471 yards and 3 touchdowns in 11 games.
At the NFL scouting combine, he tested well with a 40-yard dash time of 4.44 seconds to go with a 35.1-inch vertical leap and 13 reps in the 225 pound bench press.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein predicted Jarrett would be picked in the fifth or sixth round.
“It doesn’t take long to see the physical gifts on tape, but Jarrett’s lack of route-running fundamentals and ball skills catch up with him too often,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “His tape is filled with slants, digs and quick-game throws; he struggles to manipulate defenders with his routes and comes out on the wrong end when throws are contested.”
Buccaneers Have Talent to Spare at Wide Receiver
The Buccaneers went against the experts and took a wide receiver in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft with Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka at No. 19 overall. That was despite desperate needs on the defensive side of the ball and already having 2 NFL All-Pro wide receivers on the roster in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who are making close to $50 million in combined salary in 2025.
It might be the smartest move the franchise has made in the draft in the last few years.
In 2024, 3 rookie wide receivers and 1 rookie tight end had seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards — that’s up from just one each in 2023 and 2022.
More than any other rookie in the 2025 class, Egbuka seems primed to join that group.
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