Fire the cannons, Mike Evans is staying home

Mike Evans has resigned with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers according to reports that came out Monday morning from Adam Schefter (then confirmed on Evans’ Instagram). The Bucs’ greatest receiver, and perhaps best offensive player, is set to make $52 over the next two years.

The five-time Pro Bowler was slated to hit the market when free agency begins next week, but Evans and the Bucs had begun extension talks in the offseason before the 2023-2024 season. When talks stalled, Evans established a deadline of the beginning of the regular season.

Both sides clearly wanted a deal to get done; the 30-year-old is one of the most consistent performers in football. He’s beloved by both the fans and the Bucs front office, and he seems to really enjoy playing here.

If the goal is for Evans to retire a Buc, this could be his last contract, as he’ll be 32 when it expires.

Some might speculate whether or not he’ll still want to play at that age after making over $160 million throughout his career. Of course, if the receiver continues his streak of 1,000 receiving yard seasons over the duration of this deal, maybe the former Texas A&M man will feel like he still has something left in the tank.

That’s a problem for 2026 though; for now, the Bucs’ next priorities are signing quarterback Baker Mayfield, safety Antoine Winfield Jr., and lineback Lavonte David.

Mayfield is the most interesting of the trio since Winfield is expected to be franchise tagged and David is more than likely choosing between retiring and returning to Tampa Bay. There doesn’t seem to be any desire from either the All-Pro linebacker or the team for the relationship to end and for David not to retire as a career-long Buccaneer.

With Evans’ contract only lasting a couple seasons, it will be curious to see if the Bucs decide to give that many years of guaranteed money to Mayfield, as both have been vocal about enjoying playing with each other and how influential the other’s decision will be on their own free agency dilemmas.

Unlike Evans though, there hasn’t been nearly as much chatter about Mayfield leaving; he has been very Bucs-oriented in his offseason answers, especially at the Pro Bowl, where he fielded questions as if his return to Tampa Bay was a done deal.

We shall see if that was just talk or if contract discussions break down, although it’s difficult to imagine Evans signing this contract without assurances from the Bucs and Mayfield that the quarterback will be returning as well.

For now, fire those cannons, Mike Evans is staying home.

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