Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans didn’t take long to react to quarterback Baker Mayfield‘s official return.
Evans wrote “wake and Bake” and “let’s get it” on an Instagram story on Wednesday after Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million deal with the Buccaneers. The story had a picture of Evans and Mayfield from a 2023 game plus a snorting emoji and a flexing emoji.
In 2023, Mayfield and Evans became a tough quarterback-receiver tandem to stop. They connected on 79 passes for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns. Evans led the Buccaneers receivers with those numbers, and Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns versus interceptions overall.
Both also had to re-sign with the team this offseason. Evans re-signed first with a two-year, $41 million deal after speculation that he wouldn’t re-sign.
As Mayfield’s new contract awaited, Evans made a call to the quarterback. Mayfield told reporters on Wednesday that Evans told him, ‘hey, are we doing this or what?’”
For Mayfield, he made it clear after the NFC Divisional Round loss that he wanted to return and wanted Evans back, too.
Buccaneers Land One of ‘The Greatest Free Agent Hauls’ Ever
The Buccaneers not only brought back both offensive stars, the organization secured key defensive players in safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and linebacker Lavonte David.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht called it one of “the greatest free agent hauls of all-time” to re-sign those four. Tampa Bay can now turn its attention to a fourth-straight NFC South title, a fifth-straight playoff appearance, and a possible Super Bowl run.
“We made a good run there at the end, but I don’t think any of our guys were satisfied,” Mayfield said. “It was the group that stuck together through all the highs and lows that made it so special for us. I’m looking forward to being able to push for a deeper playoff run. Obviously, if it’s not a Super Bowl, only one team’s happy at the end, so that’s the goal here, to try to win a couple.”
Baker Mayfield Anticipates a Tough NFC South
Mayfield knows that the NFC South won’t look like the division full of losing records the past two years. New head coaches and a big free agent quarterback signing could change that trend.
“A lot more winning records. It’s going to be just as competitive,” Mayfield said. “Atlanta bringing in Kirk [Cousins] and some pieces, Bryce going into Year 2, having worked with Dave [Canales], knowing he’s going to get good stuff out of him, knowing the Saints, Derek [Carr] has a lot of experience as well.”
“We’re going to have to take care of business. That’s the thing. We’ve set the standard in this division for a while now, and we’re trying to keep it that way,” Mayfield added.
Mayfield likewise wants to keep his new career trajectory after a rough 2022 where he spent time with three different teams. The Buccaneers took a chance on Mayfield in 2023 with a $4 million contract.
“The expectation on the outside, if you pay attention to that, you’re not doing it right,” he said. “Knowing the people in this building, we set our own standard. We know with the pieces we have, we’re capable of winning a Super Bowl. You set that standard and you don’t let anybody dip below that line. For us, once you get a taste of losing in the playoffs, it makes you driven even more.”
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