Buccaneers Have One More Chance Before Season Officially Goes into the Tank

Unless the Tampa Bay Buccaneers manage to win Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, the rest of the season will quickly dissolve into questions about the organization's future instead of its present. 

The Buccaneers will be in unfamiliar territory as they come off this year's bye week. For the first time since Sept. 14, the Buccaneers are considered the favorites to win the game. According to OddsShark.com, Tampa Bay is a 2.5-point favorite over the Vikings. 

After all, the Vikings are 2-5 this season, but they've lost three straight games. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will now lead the 29th-ranked offense into Tampa Bay after the Buccaneers had an extra week to prepare. A win by the Buccaneers should be expected. A loss could start a chain reaction within the organization. 

After a 1-5 start, hope is fleeting in Tampa Bay. Another loss will only send the the fanbase down a deeper hole of despair. Head coach Lovie Smith hasn't given up, as Sports Talk Florida's Jenna Laine tweeted, nor should he. 

A 2-5 record with upcoming games against the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins looks far more promising than 1-6 with the NFL's trade deadline looming. 

Massive changes to the Buccaneers roster could take place early next week after a loss. 

The NFL's trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. The Buccaneers could be one of the most active teams on the market as they attempt to move overpaid talent that doesn't fit into the direction the team wants to go under Smith. 

The coach unsuccessfully tried to eschew any trade rumors currently wafting around the NFL landscape, per the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud. 

"

We like our football team that we're going with, that we have here right now. We're not trying to shop any of our players, to answer any questions out there. And it's people — if they call about some of their players, we take all calls. We don't (say), 'Oh, this area code? We're not going to take this call.'

We listen to what everybody has to say, and we go from there. You see who's on our roster today. I would just kind of go with that

"

If or when the Buccaneers are involved in a trade Tuesday, the most likely candidate to be moved is veteran wide receiver Vincent Jackson, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. 

As Smith said, the team will take calls. How willing it is to move the 31-year-old Jackson will be very telling. The wide receiver is clearly the hottest name on the trade market but still a favorite in the clubhouse.

Jackson originally signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent prior to the 2012 season. It was a five-year deal that runs through the 2016 season. By moving Jackson, the Buccaneers would not have to pay his base salary of nearly $9.8 million each of the next two seasons. 

A potential Jackson trade wouldn't simply clear cap space over the long haul; it would also unburden the Buccaneers from an aging wide receiver whose playing is clearly starting to decline. 

Of the 110 wide receivers graded by Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Jackson is 107th in the percentage of passes caught when thrown in his direction. But the team would also be getting rid of its leading receiver. Jackson still has 25 receptions this season for 344 yards. 

Teams such as the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals all have needs at wide receiver and enough cap space to work a deal with the Buccaneers if they're interested in doing so.

Furthermore, Jackson may not be the only highly paid veteran on the block who predates the tenures of Smith and general manager Jason Licht. 

Rapoport also reported Jackson isn't the only Buccaneer potentially available: 

Of the top 10 highest-paid players among the Buccaneers, only defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and safeties Dashon Goldson and Mark Barron were not acquired by the the current regime. 

McCoy's availability in a trade seems unlikely since he's been the team's top performer when healthy. 

But the Buccaneers could very well enter into discussions to potentially move both of their starting safeties. 

Goldson, whose cap hit this season is the fourth-most expensive of any safety in the NFL, hasn't played particularly well during the transition into Smith's defensive scheme. 

While Barron has been solid during his first two-plus seasons with the Buccaneers, he hasn't lived up to expectations of a former top-10 pick. The safety certainly hasn't been a difference-maker in Tampa Bay's secondary. And his contract continues to escalate over the next two seasons from $3.28 million this season to $4.6 million by the 2016 campaign. 

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Running back Doug Martin is another possible target for teams. Martin hasn't recaptured the magic that once made him a Pro Bowl player as a rookie. Since rushing for 1,454 yards during the 2012 campaign, the Boise State product has proved to be injury-prone and averaged only 3.4 yards per carry in his last 10 games. He's currently averaging 2.9 yards per carry this season. 

Meanwhile, Bobby Rainey continues to prove he can contribute when forced into action. And the Buccaneers have depth at the position with Mike James also available. Plus, Charles Sims, whom the team drafted in the third round, practiced Wednesday, per Stroud, and is set to return to the lineup either this weekend or the next. 

Plenty hinges on the Buccaneers' performance this weekend. 

The possibility of moving any of these veteran talents will send a clear message: The season is over. By winning and not making a multitude of moves, it would give the appearance Tampa Bay is still trying to salvage this season. 

It's a scenario where Smith and Licht have to weigh potential long-term gains over short-term losses. The fact all of these names could be available provides an indication where the team is leaning.

While the Buccaneers may not be actively shopping any of these talents, the organization's need to find the right fits for the team's schemes should outweigh any short-term gain Tampa Bay can make in what already looks like a lost season. 

All salary information acquired from Spotrac.com. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.