Now that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have wide receiver Mike Evans under contract, he made it clear who he wants throwing the ball to him.
That’s quarterback Baker Mayfield, who hasn’t re-signed with the team as free agency looms. Mayfield could make at least $30 million per year or four-year, $120 million deal according to Spotrac.
“Of course. Of course,” Evans told reporters on Friday regarding his contact with Mayfield before re-signing. “Me and Baker, we played one season together and I feel like we can build on what we did last year. Hopefully we get him back — he’s a [expletive] of a player. I appreciate [him]. They’re going to handle their process and I trust Jason [Licht] and the front office no matter what happens.”
Evans also threw a little extra praise in Mayfield’s direction when asked if Mayfield is “elite”. The former No. 1 pick in 2018 rebuilt his career with Evans and the Buccaneers in 2023 with 4,044 yards passing for 28 touchdowns along with a playoff appearance and Pro Bowl appearance.
“Absolutely. It’s on record that I’ve played with many quarterbacks throughout my career, so that doesn’t matter,” Evans said. “Whoever the quarterback is, he’s an NFL quarterback. But, yeah, me and Baker, we have a really good connection. I think he’s an elite quarterback.”
Do you agree with Mike Evans that Baker Mayfield is an elite QB?
Evans had another strong season with Mayfield amid 79 catches for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Buccaneers re-signed Evans for a two-year deal worth up to $52 million on Friday.
“I’m extremely confident,” Evans said about Mayfield’s return. “I’m not 100%, but he played really great for us last year. The city took him in, the players loved him. Hopefully, we get him back, but he should do what’s best for him.”
Buccaneers GM Jason Licht on Baker Mayfield: ‘We’ve Had Good Conversations’
While Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht didn’t call re-signing Mayfield a shoe-in, he’s confident of the direction in talks with Mayfield’s agent, Tom Mills.
“We’ve had good conversations,” Licht said via ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
Licht added that there’s a “pretty good idea” about competitors for Mayfield’s services and “you’ve just gotta remain patient, you can’t panic” in contract negotiations.
Of course, the Buccaneers have more pending free agents to re-sign besides Mayfield. Tampa Bay will need to find a way to pull it off with $19.27 million in salary cap space.
“Well, you have great people working for you in the experts of Mike [Greenberg] and Jackie [Davidson],” Licht said. “It’s a puzzle. We have some constraints — there is the cap and all of those things. We’ve been planning on this for a while.”
“It isn’t something that you wake up and decide to do. It’s the plan that you have. It’s something that, luckily, we have great people working in this organization that are helping us through it,” Licht added.
Jason Licht Humorously Relieved After Mike Evans Signing
A 2014 draft pick, Evans has been a mainstay for the Buccaneers, and Licht knew it behooved his staff to get a deal done.
“Well, it meant that my kids won’t ask me anymore when I go home when we’re getting Mike done, and letting me know that if we don’t, I won’t be able to go out to dinner anymore in Tampa,” Licht said with a laugh. “It meant a lot. We still have some work to do, but having Mike being here for 10 years and with all of the things he has done, it made sense to get his done first.”
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Mike Evans Sends Strong Message to Baker Mayfield