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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans quietly cleaned out his locker for perhaps the last time on Monday after Sunday’s season-ending loss.
Evans could become a free agent when his five-year, $82.5 million contract expires in March. Though he didn’t talk with the media on Monday, he discussed his future on Sunday after a 31-23 loss to the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round.
“I’ve been on record saying how much I love this place and how much I want to be here,” Evans told reporters on Sunday. “Not a lot of guys finish with one team so that will be amazing if I get to do that but, you know, we’ll see. I’m still trying to get over this loss.”
Evans did everything he could to give the Buccaneers a shot to upset the Lions at a raucous Ford Field. He made eight receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown — a franchise playoff record for yards.
Tampa Bay re-signing Evans won’t come easy as he could command $23.8 million annually or a four-year, $95.3 million deal, based on Spotrac’s projects. The Buccaneers have a projected $48.7 million in salary cap space, but the team will also need to prioritize a plethora of key players to re-sign in the process.
“I would love to be back, I love Tampa Bay,” Evans said. “Been here my whole career. The city has been great to me, the franchise has been unbelievable to me and my family. I love this place. So, we’ll see.”
The Buccaneers drafted Evans in 2014 with the No. 7 pick, and he shined for the team ever since with 10-straight 1,000-yard seasons, an NFL record for the start of a career.
Todd Bowles: ‘I Don’t Even Think About It’
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles addressed the real possibility that Evans played his final game in pewter and red.
“I don’t even think about it. I don’t like to be asked about it,” Bowles told reporters on Monday. “I don’t wanna know about it. And I hope to [expletive] that does not happen.”
Evans delivered a big season for the Buccaneers, which reached the Divisional Round for a third time in four years. He caught 79 passes for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season.
Mike Evans Calls Baker Mayfield ‘Criminally Underrated’
Part of Evans’ success stemmed from Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield successfully taking the reins in place of the retired Tom Brady. Mayfield turned in a career year with 4,044 yards passing for 28 touchdowns versus 10 interceptions in the regular season.
“Baker is a [expletive] of a player and he showed everybody he is criminally underrated,” Evans said. “I mean, he played his way into a big contract, I believe.”
Mayfield signed with the Buccaneers in March 2023 after he bounced around three teams in 2022. Many in the national media considered the former No. 1 pick’s career washed up after setbacks with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, and Los Angeles Rams.
If the Buccaneers offer Mayfield a new contract, he made it clear that he wants Evans back in Tampa, too.
“If I’m back, I want Mike back,” Mayfield told reporters on Sunday.
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