The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally came to an agreement with wide receiver Mike Evans on a two-year, $52 million contract. On the morning of March 4, ESPN Senior Writer Adam Schefter spoke with Evans’s agent Deryk Gilmore.
According to Gilmore, it’s the largest [contract] for any wide receiver this old on his third contract.
The impressive deal features a guaranteed $35 million. It could allow Evans to retire as a Buccaneer, which is something the organization truly wants.
The feeling appears to be mutual. Tampa Bay Times’s Rick Stroud posted on Twitter, quoting Gilmore shortly after having heard the news.
“Mike just called me last night and said, ‘I want to be a Buc for life,’ Evans’ agent Daryk Gilmore just texted. ”Myself and Darren Jones have worked hard to get this deal done.’’
Evans: ‘Fire Them Cannons’
Shortly after that, Evans took to Instagram. He posted a picture of himself in Tampa Bay’s throwback creamsicle jerseys with a caption that says, “Fire them Cannons.”
Following one of the most impressive seasons to date, Evans will be back on the field for the Buccaneers.
After reaching ten consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards, the wide receiver is looking to make the 2024 season his eleventh with the Buccaneers. Currently, he is only four 1,000-yard seasons away from breaking the record held by Jerry Rice.
For Buccaneers fans, this is really good news.
Evans has been the bell cow for this organization for the past ten years. In that time, not only has he managed to rack up the stats sheet, but he has also won the prestigious Walter Payton Man-of-the-year award three times. With Evans heading back to Tampa, this raises the question of who will be the quarterback.
Evans Could Swing Mayfield
Considering how Evans’s agent emphasized playing with an “elite quarterback” as one of Evans’s primary concerns, could this mean the Bucs are getting close to an agreement with quarterback Baker Mayfield?
There has been a lot of speculation surrounding landing spots for Mayfield, with the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons being two of the most recent. However, the news of Evans resigning could certainly swing Mayfield back towards the Buccaneers.
On March 2, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz quoted Evans’s agent Gilmore.
“Mike wants to play with an elite quarterback in an offense that will showcase him… He doesn’t want to play with a rookie QB. Winning a Super Bowl is a key priority.”
It may be safe to assume that Evans wouldn’t just sign with the Buccaneers if they didn’t also have their quarterback position figured out.
Mayfield is coming off of a Pro Bowl season, throwing for 4,044 yards with 28 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. The Buccaneers could look to keep the “Mayfield to Evans” connection alive by keeping the two together.
On February 7, just ahead of the 2024 Super Bowl, Mayfield was featured on “Up and Adams” where he spoke very highly about Evans.
“If I’m back in Tampa, I would love to have Mike back. The guy deserves to be a Buc for life.”
It seems that we could be very close to hearing about another deal being reached in Tampa.
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