The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made significant changes to their coaching staff this offseason, with the intent of running it back with a majority of their roster next season. However, it appears that wide receiver Mike Evans may not return to the team.
NFL insider Tony Pauline said the talk around the Senior Bowl was that there’s a belief there is less than a 50-50 chance that Evans re-signs with the Buccaneers. The expectation is that the All-Pro wide receiver’s time with Tampa Bay has come to an end.
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Evans was selected by Tampa Bay with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Across 12 seasons, he has recorded 13,052 receiving yards and 108 touchdowns and is the franchise leader in every statistical receiving category.
He has become a franchise icon, tying the NFL record for consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (11) and only falling short this past season due to injury. While he will eventually be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor, there now appears to be a real chance he doesn’t spend his entire career playing for the Buccaneers.
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If he decides to test the open market, he will have no shortage of suitors. Super Bowl contenders like the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, and San Francisco 49ers will be pursuing wide receivers this offseason. There is also a real chance that the next contract he signs will be his last, with the 32-year-old likely weighing retirement in the next two to three years.
