Despite a near-paralyzing neck injury, Jalen McMillan delivered a breakout season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, hinting at a bright future.
There was a time during this past NFL season when Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles didn’t know if receiver Jalen McMillan would be back.
In his second season out of the University of Washington, McMillan suffered a neck injury in the Buccaneers' second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This caused him to miss 13 of Tampa’s 17 regular-season games, and almost cost a lot more.
McMillan revealed in December that the injury nearly paralyzed him.
Bowles, speaking to reporters last Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, said he didn’t know what to expect when McMillan returned to action Dec. 11 against the Atlanta Falcons.
"I did not know if he would have the jitters, especially with the neck injury," Bowles said.
Bowles remembers a "vicious hit" McMillan took in that first game where he landed on his neck, and was relieved to see him get up.
From there, McMillan became one of the few bright spots in what was a brutal end to the season (seven losses in nine games).
In Tampa’s loss to the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 27, McMillan eclipsed the century mark for the first time in his career, going for 114 yards on seven catches in what could be described as his coming-out party.
Before the injury, McMillan was coming off a promising rookie season. Despite missing four games with a hamstring injury, the third-round pick (92 overall) ended his rookie year with 461 yards and eight touchdowns on 37 receptions, with his eight touchdowns finishing tied for second with Marvin Harrison Jr. and behind only Brian Thomas Jr.
A unique thing about those eight touchdowns is that seven of them came after Dec. 1.
With veteran Chris Godwin on the shelf after a season-ending injury, McMillan answered the bell, catching seven TDs in Tampa’s last five regular-season games and helping the Bucs go 4-1 record in that stretch, sealing the NFC South.
McMillan’s role could become more significant in 2026.
The Bucs might lose franchise cornerstone Mike Evans, who is set to hit the free-agent market.
How much the Bucs believe in McMillan will factor into whether they decided to go after a receiver in free agency or the draft, or if they decide to use those resources on other areas of need.
As of now, McMillan is part of a promising young trio of receivers that features Rookie of the Year finalist Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson, a seventh-round pick who has found a home in Tampa’s offense.
Bowles described him as "a very talented guy and a very passionate guy."
"I think he fits in great with the receiver room, and he is a workhorse," he said. "He comes out to work everyday, and I think he has some great football ahead of him."
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