Ex-Husky McMillan Goes From Neck Injury to Career Day

It's been a rough NFL season for the University of Washington's 2023 receiver corps of Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan, all so young and talented.

Odunze hasn't played for the Chicago Bears for nearly a month after injuring a foot.

Polk hasn't played at all this season since he suffered a shoulder injury and had surgery, and was traded during his recovery from the New England Patriots to the New Orleans Saints.

And McMillan?

He almost experienced the worst of the worst among these one-time Husky pass-catchers when he suffered a neck injury for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during preseason play -- one a doctor said came ever so close to leaving him paralyzed.

"It kind of scared me a little bit," he admitted after wearing a neck brace for three and a half months.

On Sunday, McMillan's world finally returned to normal again when, in his third game back from his close call, he caught a career-best 7 passes for a team-high 114 yards in a 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Jalen McMillan on the Bucs locker room after loss to Dolphins: “There’s no finger pointing in the locker room. There’s no he said she said.” pic.twitter.com/mokATInlo1
— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) December 28, 2025

His health issues began in an August exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Steelers when he had his legs taken out from beneath him, flipped backward and landed awkwardly on his neck.

Everything came into question for him once the second-year player was examined by a doctor, who gave him a frank assessment after it was determined he had fractured back vertebrae and sprained neck ligaments.

“It was dark for me,” McMillan said. “At first I felt good and I thought it was just a minor injury, and then the doctor said I almost got paralyzed. There was a lot of doubt because I didn’t know if I was going to be playing again.”

He wore that neck brace everywhere, all the time, night and day. People stared at him. He took it off only to take a shower.

Jalen McMillan, the ex-Husky now with Tampa Bay, makes one of his seven catches against the Carolina Panthers. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Finally, he was cleared to play at the beginning of the month and caught 2 passes each in games against Carolina and Atlanta as he eased back into shape.

On Sunday, the Bucs went to him frequently and furiously, targeting McMillan nine times and connecting on seven throws. He caught a 33-yarder pass up the sideline. He and his team did everything except win the game.

Yet not all victories are measured by a scoreboard. McMillan feels lucky to be playing football, happy to be in uniform again, grateful for everything.

"I wasn't sure if I would be back, but I was going to try to approach every day as if I was," he said. "It just took everything in me."

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