Buccaneers’ $52 Million WR Called ‘Very Good, Not Elite’ in Rankings

The offseason of disrespect rolls on for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The latest salvo comes from PFF’s John Kosko, who placed Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans at No. 27 on his rankings of the Top 30 NFL Players Over 30 Years Old.

Evans, who has opened his career with an NFL record 10 consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards, was sixth out of seven wide receivers who made the list.

“Evans is on a 10-year tear of producing 1,000 receiving yards each season,” Kosko wrote. “His longevity is impressive, even if his PFF grades don’t match his reputation, as his 81.4 two-year mark is very good but not elite.”

The “two-year mark” Kosko refers to is Evans’ overall grade at his position over the last two seasons. In 2023, Evans finished ninth in the NFL with 1,255 receiving yards and tied for first in the NFL with 13 receiving touchdowns.

Evans, who signed a 2-year, $52 million contract in March, will turn 31 years old in August.

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Who Were the WRs Ranked Ahead of Evans?

Kosko’s list included seven wide receivers — Miami’s Tyreek Hill (No. 2), Las Vegas’ Davante Adams (No. 9), Chicago’s Keenan Allen (No. 16), Los Angeles Rams’ Cooper Kupp (No. 20), Houston’s Stefon Diggs (No. 26), Evans (No. 27) and Cleveland’s Amari Cooper (No. 29).

San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams was No. 1 on the list for the second straight season.

Only Hill had more receiving yards than Evans in 2023, leading the NFL with 1,799 yards. Hill also tied Evans for the NFL lead with 13 receiving touchdowns.

Evans made his second NFL All-Pro Team in 2023 and his fifth Pro Bowl. The only NFL All-Pro selections in 2023 off the PFF list were Evans and Hill.

Evans won a Super Bowl following the 2020 season with the Bucs, while Hill won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs following the 2019 season.

Of the seven wide receivers on the list, only Evans, Hill and Kupp have won Super Bowls.

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Evans One Half of Bucs’ Elite, Aging WR Duo

Evans isn’t the only elite wide receiver on the Buccaneers who is thought to be getting on in years in NFL terms — fellow wide receiver Chris Godwin turned 28 years old in Feb. 2024 and is entering his eighth season.

Something else Evans and Godwin have in common? Both have had over 1,000 receiving yards each of the last three seasons. Godwin had 83 receptions for 1,024 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in 2023.

Godwin, like Evans, has been richly compensated for being one of the NFL’s best wide receivers. Godwin signed a 3-year, $60 million contract in March 2022 which included a $40 million signing bonus.

The Buccaneers hope an injection of youth into the wide receiving corps could help lift the franchise in 2024 and lay a foundation for the future after they selected Washington wide receiver Jalen McMillan in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft (No. 92 overall).

Tampa Bay may have gotten great value with McMillan, who had 70 receptions for 1,098 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns in 2022 but missed four games in 2023 and was limited in several others with an injury suffered early in the season.

McMillan still finished the season with 39 receptions for 526 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns — an average of 13.5 yards per catch.

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