The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been blessed when it comes to the longevity of their star players.
For wide receiver and 2013 first round pick Mike Evans, that already equates to what should be a surefire first ballot induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. At 32 years old, that moment might be coming a lot sooner than Evans or anyone else is willing to recognize yet.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks the end is coming for Evans soon enough that the Buccaneers should begin looking for Evans’ replacement in the 2025 NFL draft.
Evans will be a free agent following the 2025 season after he signed a 2-year, $52 million contract extension with the Buccaneers in March 2024.
In 2025, the 6-time Pro Bowler and 2-time NFL All-Pro can break the NFL record he shares with Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice of 11 consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
“The Bucs should look to re-sign him when that time comes,” Ballentine wrote. “He’s played his entire career in Tampa and it would feel wrong to see him in another jersey. But they might want to make a surprising move and draft a receiver earlier than expected despite extending (Chris) Godwin. Tre Harris is the premium big-bodied receiver in the class, but Jayden Higgins could be an interesting project for them in later rounds.”
Looking to Replace Evans Could Be Premature
The fact Evans still hit 1,000 receiving yards in 2024 despite missing 3 games and almost all of another game seems to indicate he might have more left in the tank.
The Buccaneers were hurt the most by injuries to Evans and Godwin in the 2024 season, with both players going down in a Week 7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Evans missed a month with an injured hamstring and Godwin missed the rest of the season with a dislocated ankle. Evans managed to return late in the season to lift the Buccaneers to their fifth consecutive playoff appearance and third consecutive NFC South Division title along with tying Rice’s record.
Godwin signed a team friendly, 3-year, $66 million contract to stay in Tampa Bay and should be completely healthy this season. The Buccaneers might also have a viable third wide receiver option with 2024 third round pick (No. 92 overall) Jalen McMillan.
While McMillan finished his rookie season with a rather pedestrian line of 34 receptions for 461 yards, he had 24 receptions for 316 yards and 7 touchdowns over the final 5 games of the regular season, including a touchdown catch in all 5 games.
Buccaneers Likely to Draft Edge Rusher in First Round
While there could be a scenario in which a wide receiver too good to pass up drops to the Buccaneers at the No. 10 overall pick in the first round — think someone like Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan — the franchise has a desperate need to add young talent at edge rusher.
Pro Football Talk’s Connor Rogers predicts the Buccaneers will use their first round pick on Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku in PFT’s latest mock draft.
“Todd Bowles desperately needs another pure pass rusher in this defense and there weren’t many more productive than Ezeiruaku this year,” Rogers wrote.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Buccaneers Urged to Replace $52 Million All-Pro WR in NFL Draft appeared first on Heavy Sports.