Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Russell Gage went down with an injury in joint practice with the New York Jets Wednesday. The injury was non-contact, and he was carted off the practice field in tears while his teammates kneeled in support.

Though the exact injury will not be uncovered until Gage undergoes tests later on, initial reports make it sound severe.

“Bucs WR Russell Gage suffered a non-contact knee injury during today's joint practice with the Jets and the belief heading into exams is that the severe injury will end his season, per me and Mike Garafolo. A hit to WR depth and crushing for Gage,” per Ian Rapoport.

As confirmed by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Gage won't play at all in 2023 due to the injury.

The injury is both devastating to Gage and the Buccaneers. Gage was pinned to be the Buccaneers' third starting receiver along with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. With Gage presumably out for the long term, the Bucs will have to look at younger weapons on their depth chart including Trey Palmer and David Moore to help either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask.

Gage has struggled with injuries during his career, including when he suffered a scary concussion against the Dallas Cowboys during the Wild Card round in January. The concussion was initially severe enough that he was sent to the hospital.

Gage signed with the Buccaneers in free agency during the 2022 offseason after spending the first four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He previously was a sixth-round pick for the Falcons and has risen to become a consistent target for both the Falcons and Bucs.