Getty Mike Evans may be putting his recruiting hat on for the Buccaneers.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the market for a new quarterback which means the current social media activity from star players is under even more scrutiny. After the Pro Bowl, Buccaneers star receiver Mike Evans took to social media to praise Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray after the duo connected for a touchdown pass.
“Always wanted to catch a pass from the Texas legend @k1,” Evans said tagging Murray in the Instagram Story post.
Murray later reposted Evans’ comments on his own Instagram Story, which normally would not be significant. Except that Murray’s social media pages are now free from any mention of the Cardinals and the quarterback only left two Instagram posts. One with Murray celebrating winning the Heisman as Oklahoma QB1 and another photo with Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb from the Pro Bowl.
This has sparked speculation that Murray may be unhappy in Arizona. Could this mean Murray has a chance to be the next Buccaneers quarterback? It is all a bit of a stretch but the timing of Evans’ comments coinciding with the Buccaneers new quarterback vacancy has some Tampa Bay fans hoping this could be the case, even if the odds are long.
Here is a screenshot of Evans’ post that has Bucs fans buzzing.
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Murray Scrubbed Cardinals References From His Social Media Accounts
Arizona QB Kyler Murray has unfollowed the team & removed all Cardinals-related content from his Instagram.
The only recent content was a picture of himself at the Pro Bowl and a story re-share of a Mike Evans post that said “always wanted to catch a pass from the Texas legend.”
There is always the chance that Murray was doing some pre-spring cleaning to his social media pages. Yet, it typically creates a stir when a star athlete removes any trace of their team from social media, especially when you are heading into the final year of a contract.
“Arizona QB Kyler Murray has unfollowed the team & removed all Cardinals-related content from his Instagram,” The Athletic tweeted on February 7. “The only recent content was a picture of himself at the Pro Bowl and a story re-share of a Mike Evans post that said ‘always wanted to catch a pass from the Texas legend.'”
Murray later quote tweeted Evans’ message by praising the star receiver.
“Texas Legend!” Murray remarked to Evans on February 6.
Could the Buccaneers Really Trade for Murray?
Hey #Bucs fans… Do you want the #Bucs trade for #KylerMurray? #jerseyswap
The only way the Buccaneers have a chance to pull off a deal for Murray is if the quarterback demanded a trade from the Cardinals. Otherwise, Arizona is not going to volunteer to trade their franchise quarterback. That said, Murray is slated to enter the final year of his contract and is due for a sizable raise from his $965,000 salary for 2022.
If talks between the two parties break down, the Cardinals could explore trading Murray, but Arizona still has the franchise tag at their disposal to prevent the quarterback from leaving in 2023. All this goes back to Murray having to force his way out, similar to Deshaun Watson, for the Buccaneers to have a chance at the quarterback.
Under this scenario, the Buccaneers have a loaded roster and draft picks to potentially make a strong offer to the Cardinals. This is if general manager Jason Licht wants to get aggressive in the quarterback market for the second time in three offseasons.
For now, Murray should not be completely ruled out as an option for Tampa Bay, but it is admittedly a long shot. Yes, we are saying there is a (ever so slight) chance, Bucs fans. After all, the Buccaneers are not too far removed from landing the G.O.A.T. with even longer odds.