Buccaneers wide receiver out of Washington whose 2025 season was wiped out by a serious neck injury suffered in the preseason.
Jalen McMillan came to Tampa Bay as a 2024 draft pick out of Washington and flashed promise as a rookie. His 2025 season took a dramatic turn when he fractured vertebrae in a preseason game and opened the year on injured reserve. He did not return to the field until Week 15.
Path to the league
McMillan starred at Washington alongside a loaded Huskies passing attack before the Buccaneers drafted him in 2024. He showed flashes as a rookie and entered 2025 expected to be part of Tampa Bay's receiver rotation.
2025 season
McMillan suffered three vertebrae fractures in his neck in an August 16 preseason game against Pittsburgh and began the season on IR, per Buccaneers and Sports Illustrated reporting. After receiving clearance from spine specialist Dr. Robert Watkins, he made his season debut in a Week 15 matchup with the Falcons.
Sources
- Sports Illustrated: Buccaneers to place WR Jalen McMillan on IR
- ESPN: Jalen McMillan player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Receiving
4 games played▶Receiving · career
| Year | Team | GP | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | buccaneers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | buccaneers | 4 | 12 | 178 | 14.8 | 0 | 33 |
| 2024 | buccaneers | 13 | 37 | 461 | 12.5 | 8 | 33 |
▶Rushing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | buccaneers | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | buccaneers | 13 | 4 | 43 | 10.8 | 0 | 17 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Wide Receiver
- Group
- injuredReserveOrOut
- College
- Washington
- Hometown
- Fresno, CA, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- day-to-day
Latest news about Jalen McMillan
All news →Baker Mayfield Out at Least Three Weeks With Dislocated Thumb; Undrafted Rookie Jalon Daniels to Start
An MRI showed no ligament or tendon damage and Mayfield does not need surgery. Daniels, from Kansas, will be the first rookie quarterback to start for Tampa Bay since 2015. Receiver Jalen McMillan is out six to eight weeks.
Week 3 Injuries: Justin Jefferson, Baker Mayfield and De'Von Achane Among Players Hurt Sunday
Update: Mayfield is out at least three weeks with a dislocated thumb, Achane tore his ACL and is on injured reserve, Jefferson has an ankle sprain and could play, and the 49ers' three injured starters avoided long-term damage.
How the Buccaneers plan to replace Mike Evans: by committee, with Emeka Egbuka as the headliner
Tampa let its franchise icon walk to San Francisco in March. The post-Evans receiver room is younger, faster, and built around a 2025 first-rounder ready to take WR1 reps.
