WR Mike Evans to meet with Buccaneers ahead of free agency

Tampa, Florida– tampa bay buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan He was enduring one of the lowest and loneliest times of his life – recovering from three broken vertebrae in his neck that he suffered during a preseason game after a promising rookie season – when mike evansThe Bucs’ all-time leading scorer gave them a much-needed boost.

“I think he helped me understand my value as a receiver and he was able to teach me that it’s OK to make mistakes,” McMillen said. “The really big thing is how good a receiver I am – speaking it into me, just encouraging me.”

Evans landed with McMillan on injured reserve after suffering a broken collarbone in Week 7. Neither returned until Week 15, leading to a deep conversation between the veteran and the 2024 third-round draft pick.

But it wasn’t as if McMillan didn’t believe in himself after the devastating injury.

“No, I did,” McMillan said. “But when it comes to Mike Evans, you feel different about yourself.”

That’s the impact of No. 13 and why general manager Jason Licht and coach Todd Bowles hope Evans never wears another team’s uniform.

“He’s a phenomenal player,” Licht said in 2024. “We want him to be booked for life.”

Evans has said he wants to be “booked for life”, but when his agent, Derrick Gilmore, told ESPN this week that Evans will play football in 2026The message was that he would explore his options in free agency.

This doesn’t mean Evans won’t return to Tampa, but there is a process that needs to happen.

Gilmore called the Bucs to tell them that Evans would not be retiring, and Gilmore said he would sit down with them in the coming weeks and see how a deal could work out.

Could the Bucs franchise tag Evans? Technically, yes, but the feeling inside the organization is that Evans has given the team 12 seasons, and he deserves agency over where he spends the remaining years of his career. They also have to consider whether the move would make sense financially, given that they would have to pay him $27-28 million for one year, whereas his average value on his last deal was $20.5 million.

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Riddick: Mike Evans will be in high demand

Louis Riddick and Booger McFarland react to Mike Evans preparing to play in 2026 and become a free agent.

Additionally, Evans is coming off a season in which his catches (30), yards (368) and games played (8) were low.

But they know what he means to the franchise. Bowles said Evans gaining 1,000 receiving yards for a record-setting 11th consecutive season in the 2024 Finals was one of the best moments in football he has been a part of.

“That fire – it demands everyone to raise their standards,” quarterback Baker Mayfield Said about Evans. “We love that Mike is vocal about it. He clearly expects greatness from himself and expects people to rise to the occasion, too.”

Prior to the 2023 season, Evans, who was entering the final year of his deal, told the franchise that he would not negotiate during the season if an extension was not made.

Things could have gone worse, but instead, Evans re-signed to a two-year, $52 million deal with $35 million guaranteed before hitting free agency. Both sides felt it was a fair deal, and the following season, he tied Jerry Rice for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

Evans, who will turn 33 in August, wants to make an informed decision and see what other teams are offering. He is recovering from the first broken bone of his career and surgery in a season when he missed nine games after missing a total of 12 games in the previous 11 seasons – so he recognizes where he is in his career.

That recognition prompted him to drop hints about retirement.

After a loss to the Bucs in December, he said, “While I’ll be leaving this game soon, I’ll be happy with the receiving room left in Tampa and excited to see them go on to have great careers and carry the torch forward.” atlanta falcons In week 15.

When asked what he meant by “soon”, he said, “It will be soon – even if I play three, four more years. I have played 12 years, so we will see. Time will tell.”

Evans looked emotional after Tampa Bay blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Falcons. He had 132 receiving yards but left the field after hitting his helmet on a wall inside the tunnel.

It was very difficult for them also not to reach the playoffs. After not making the playoffs until 2020, when the Bucs won the Super Bowl, Tampa Bay’s streak of five consecutive postseason appearances ended last season.

Such success has inspired him to hear the team’s plans for 2026.

bowls A significant part of the staff was rehabilitated – including firing offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard and replacing him with former Falcons offensive coordinator Jack Robinson. The move may appeal to Evans, given that Robinson worked with Tampa Bay’s previous offensive coordinator, Liam Coen, finding ways to scheme to keep Evans open.

Additionally, Evans’ position coach, Brian McLendon, is one of the few Bucs assistants retained by Bowles.

Evans also likes the locker room makeup. Evans has said that Mayfield was a big reason for his return after the 2023 season. Mayfield’s skill set and the way he ignited the locker room attracted Evans.

Evans also really loves the Bucs’ receiving corps, which McLendon described last year as “guys who really want each other to go out there and do well, no matter who it is.”

“As a wide receiver unit, we’re all very good friends in the locker room and in our receiver room,” emeka egbuka Said.

Family is also a major component. Evans’ wife, Ashley, eventually convinced him to move to Tampa in 2024.

“[She said] ‘Maybe we should live in Tampa,’ and I said, ‘I want to live in Tampa. And they offered me good money,” Evans said. “It wasn’t even about the money – I just wanted to look at everything holistically.”

There’s no telling if this will again be the deciding factor, but Tampa Bay has until March 9 before teams can legally begin negotiations with Evans before the official start of free agency on March 11.