Vincent Jackson Vincent Jackson ( born January 14 , 1983 ) , sometimes referred to by his initials V . J . , is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Northern Colorado . He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft . Jackson has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times and has exceeded 1 , 000 receiving yards during four seasons . Early years . Jackson attended Widefield High School in Colorado Springs , Colorado . As a senior , he was a " Rocky Mountain News " All - State Honorable Mention , a first - team all - area pick , and a first - team all - conference pick . He also was a standout in basketball . A straight - A student in high school , Jackson was accepted to Columbia , but decided to attend University of Northern Colorado on a partial scholarship to play both basketball and football . College career . Jackson enrolled at the University of Northern Colorado and played for the Northern Colorado Bears football team . It was one of the few colleges that recruited Jackson out of high school . One of the few true freshman to ever play for Northern Colorado , Jackson earned All - American honors as a punt returner , scoring the first time he ever touched a ball on a punt return against Adams State College . He rewrote the record books on the way to becoming Northern Colorado ' s all - time leader in receptions , receiving yards ( game & season ) , kick return yards , punt return yards , receiving touchdowns . His senior season was highlighted by a 13 - catch , 249 - yard , three - touchdown effort against Florida Atlantic . Professional career . 2005 NFL Draft . Jackson was the 29th player selected in the second round ( 61st overall ) of the 2005 NFL Draft ( the highest ever by a Northern Colorado graduate ) by the San Diego Chargers . San Diego Chargers . Jackson got off to a slow start in 2005 due to injuries . He was inactive for the first five games of the season and finally saw his first NFL action in an October 16 game against the Oakland Raiders . Jackson caught his first pass on November 6 against the New York Jets , but he would only catch two more passes for the rest of the season . Jackson caught his first NFL touchdown on September 17 , 2006 in a victory over the Tennessee Titans . In 2006 in a Christmas Eve game against the Seattle Seahawks , Jackson had a memorable touchdown catch that led the Chargers to victory . With 29 seconds left , quarterback Philip Rivers threw a touchdown pass to Jackson and the Chargers ended up winning the game 20 - 17 and setting a franchise record for wins . Jackson ended the season strongly and finished second on the team with six touchdown catches . In a 2006 game against the Oakland Raiders , Jackson nearly made one of the most bizarre turnovers in recent NFL history . After making a 13 yard catch on fourth down , Jackson immediately got up and spun the ball forward in celebration . Because Jackson had fallen on his own and was not tackled , Raiders cornerback Fabian Washington believed it to be a fumble and leapt upon the ball . Possession was originally awarded to Oakland , but the Chargers were then flagged for an illegal forward pass and allowed to keep the ball . Following the 2006 season , Jackson was charged with driving under the influence . Jackson pleaded guilty and was placed on probation . By virtue of the release of Keenan McCardell and an injury to Eric Parker , Jackson entered the 2007 season as a starting wide receiver for the Chargers . He started the season in an unmemorable fashion in a home game against the Chicago Bears by dropping a sure touchdown that bounced off his chest in the end zone . However , by the end of the season , Jackson had distinguished himself as a top target for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers . In the 2008 season , Jackson had a career season with 59 receptions , 7 TD ' s and 1 , 098 yards . He became the first Chargers wide receiver to have 1 , 000 yards receiving since 2001 . On January 6 , 2009 Jackson was arrested for a second time on suspicion of drunken driving . Jackson pleaded guilty and was given 5 years probation ( among other penalties ) on February 23 , 2010 . Jackson followed his strongest season as a pro with an even stronger one during the 2009 season , when he finished with 68 receptions , and led the team in receiving with 9 TD ' s and 1 , 167 yards . During a January 17 , 2010 divisional playoff game against the New York Jets , Jackson made a 37 yard catch that was challenged by Jets head coach Rex Ryan . Jackson received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for kicking the challenge flag , which cost the Chargers 15 yards ( The play was upheld ) . Jackson would finish the game with 7 receptions for 111 yards , becoming the first receiver of the 2009 NFL Season to record a 100 yard game on Jet ' s All Pro CB Darrelle Revis . However , in a bizarre play down field , Revis did record a single interception off a fluke bounce resulting from Jackson ' s shoe . On March 2 , 2010 Jackson faced arraignment for driving with a suspended license . He was handcuffed briefly and had his car impounded following a traffic stop just a few hours before the Chargers ' playoff loss to the New York Jets . Jackson was pulled over for playing loud music . He was cited for driving with a suspended license and expired tags . Jackson was selected to his first Pro Bowl during the 2009 NFL season as an alternate . Jackson had a strong showing in his first Pro Bowl appearance , racking in 7 receptions for 122 yards including a 48 yard catch and run for a Touchdown . On July 1 , 2010 , it was announced that Jackson had been suspended for three games for violating the league ' s personal conduct policy . Following a contract dispute , Jackson returned in week 11 of the 2010 NFL Season after holding out the first 10 games . In week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers , Jackson had a career high 3 TD ' s and 112 yards en route to a 34 - 7 win . He finished the season with 14 receptions and 248 yards . On February 15 , 2011 , the Chargers placed their franchise tag on Jackson . During the labor dispute between league owners and players following the end of the 2010 season , a lockout occurred from March 11 to July 25 . Jackson was one of the 10 plaintiffs in the Brady antitrust lawsuit against the NFL , which included star players such as Tom Brady , Peyton Manning , Drew Brees , and fellow 2010 holdout Logan Mankins . Initially , Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Vincent Jackson wanted compensation in the form of $ 10 million or become an unrestricted free agent when the lockout was over . Jackson denied reports that he had asked for compensation , but on July 23 Jackson released his claim in the Brady v . NFL lawsuit . Jackson ' s decision to drop his alleged request of unrestricted free agency and / or monetary compensation helped expedite the completion of the new labor deal . Jackson ' s Franchise Tag was held up under the new NFL CBA . On July 29 , 2011 , the first day teams were permitted to sign non - rookie free agents , Jackson signed his one - year Franchise offer , thus remaining a Charger . Because of his contract holdout during the 2010 NFL season , Jackson received only $ 583 , 000 in compensation for playing in the final six games of the season . For the 2011 season , under the franchise tag , Jackson received approximately $ 11 . 4 million , almost 20 times more than in the previous season . On Week 9 , Jackson played a personal best of 141 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers . He finished the season with totals of 60 catches for 1 , 106 yards and nine touchdowns . He was named to the Pro Bowl as an alternate for Wes Welker . Contract Dispute . When the NFL ' s Collective Bargaining Agreement expired , Jackson became a Restricted Free Agent for an additional year , causing the Chargers to place a one - year , $ 3 . 2 million tender on him . Seeking a long - term deal instead , Jackson held out of training camp . On June 15 , 2010 , the Chargers cut his tender to $ 583 , 000 , 110 % of his salary for the 2009 NFL season . On August 20 , 2010 , the Chargers placed him on the Roster Exempt List , meaning that he would have to serve a 3 - game suspension once he had agreed to a contract . The National Football League Players Association arranged a deal in which if Jackson was traded by the Chargers by 4 PM on September 22 , he would have instead been placed on the Commissioner Exempt List , rolling 6 games of suspensions ( 3 for pleading guilty to drunk driving and 3 for being placed on the roster exempt list ) into 4 . No deal materialized . The agreement also stipulated that he could be traded two days before the NFL trade deadline , but once again no deal materialized in that time . On October 29 , 2010 , Jackson ended his hold - out and signed the one - year tender . The deadline to sign and accrue a full season , so that he would be an unrestricted free agent in 2011 , was October 30 , 2010 . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . On March 13 , 2012 , Jackson signed a 5 - year , $ 55 . 55 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . On October 21st against the New Orleans Saints , Jackson set multiple Buccaneer records , with the longest reception in Tampa Bay history ( 95 yards ) and the most receiving yards in a single game ( 216 yards ) . Jackson was selected to his 3rd Pro Bowl to replace the injured Calvin Johnson .