TAMPA, Fla., April 11 (UPI) -- Wide receiver Jacquez Green, who played his first four NFL seasons in Tampa, has agreed to terms on a one-year contract.
He split the 2002 season in Washington and Detroit.
The Bucs also officially announced the re-signing restricted free agent running back Aaron Stecker, a big contributor in 2002, to a one-year deal.
Green and Stecker were teammates in Tampa in 2000 and 2001, before the receiver left in the spring of 2002 as an unrestricted free agent. Stecker stayed with the Bucs, and filled a vital role as a running back and kick returner for the eventual world champions.
Green, 5-10, 170, had 56 receptions for Tampa Bay in 1999, and another 51 in 2000, making him the first Tampa Bay receiver with over 50 receptions in back-to-back seasons since Lawrence Dawsey in 1991-92. Keyshawn Johnson has since had three consecutive seasons of 70 or more grabs.
Green originally joined the Buccaneers as a second-round draft pick out of Florida in 2002, the 34th player selected overall. An unusual run of injuries -- toe, thumb, and shoulder -- muddied his first two months in the NFL, but he recovered to play in 12 games and make one start as a rookie, catching 14 passes and showing immediate promise as a return man.
In his first regular season game ever, Green returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown at Green Bay, a play that still ranks as the longest punt return in team history. He eventually averaged 15.1 yards on 30 punt returns to rank second in the NFL in that category to Deion Sanders of Dallas.
In 1999, Green moved into the starting lineup, and had a career-high 56 receptions for 791 yards and three touchdowns. Showing the speed to get deep, he averaged 14.1 yards per catch, but saw reduced time on return units. He caught another 51 passes for 773 yards and one touchdown in 2000, recording 15.2 yards per reception as the deep threat opposite newly-acquired go-to man Keyshawn Johnson.
Green still started 10 games in 2001, but he struggled with a groin strain that kept him out for four weeks and saw his role further reduced. An unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, he then signed with Washington, where he was reunited with former Florida Coach Steve Spurrier.
In all, Green caught 157 passes for 2,217 yards and seven touchdowns in four seasons as a Buccaneer.
His primary role with the Redskins was as a punt returner, and he returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown in his second game, the only score in a 37-7 loss to Philadelphia. He caught five passes for 94 yards in Spurrier's attack, but was waived after 10 games and claimed by Detroit.
The Lions kept Green on their gameday inactive list for his six weekends, then released him last week.
Stecker's career path in Tampa has followed an opposite arc, starting out slowly but picking up steam each season.
He first joined the Bucs' practice squad late in 1999, and was then sent to NFL Europe the following spring. He returned to Tampa, and earned a spot on the active roster, primarily to return kickoffs.
In 2002, he was the team's primary kickoff return man. He finished fifth in the NFC and eighth in the NFL with a return average of 25.2 yards. He also set career highs in carries (28), rushing yards (174), yards per carry (6.2), and receptions.
His 59-yard carry against Minnesota on Nov. 3 was Tampa Bay's longest run of the year. For the first time, Stecker played in all 16 games, in addition to the team's three postseason contests.
Stecker became a restricted free agent on Feb. 28. He was free to negotiate with other teams, but the Bucs had the opportunity to match any offer, a right they retained by extending a qualifying tender offer to Stecker before free agency began.
As is the case with many restricted free agents, Stecker returned to the team by accepting that one-year tender offer.
