Losing Mike Evans Would Hurt, But It Wouldn’t Be The End Of The World

As the negotiating window is about to open at noon on Monday, all the eyes of Buccaneers’ fans are on the Mike Evans situation and whether or not the greatest offensive player – arguably the greatest player ever – to wear a Buccaneers jersey returns to Tampa. On track to be a Hall Of Famer, Evans was the first pick of Jason Licht’s tenure as GM and has spent his entire career wearing red and pewter. So, of course, there is an emotional aspect to this – but if he decides to walk away, the Bucs will survive.

“The Buccaneers have wanted to keep him. I think there’s a possibility that if Mike Evans gets offered somewhere, that he could take that offer back to Tampa Bay and say, ‘hey, what do you want here? But according to multiple sources that I’ve spoken to, for all intents and purposes, Mike Evans’ career as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, until he signs a one-day contract to retire as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, is over. He will be playing somewhere else in 2026 and perhaps beyond. The Buccaneers were waiting, hoping that they could retain Mike Evans, but ultimately it does appear — almost certain — that he is going to be signing elsewhere.”

Greg Auman said on X that the Bucs will get a chance to counter any offer Evans receives – but will they want to?

Here’s the thing; if you’re Jason Licht and you’re in charge of putting the best 53-man roster together you possibly can, does it make more sense to bring back Mike Evans or does it make more sense to spend that money on the defense? Remove the emotion, the sentimental feelings, and look at this strictly based on football and you find the answer. It’s the defense. You need an impact edge rusher, two linebackers, a defensive lineman, and at least one corner just on that side of the ball.

As far as the offense is concerned, you need two running backs, a tight end, and offensive line depth. So why would you spend half of the cash you have available to you – if the reports are accurate that he’s looking for two years, $50-million – on a receiver you don’t really need when you have defensive positions that you do really need. The only explanation is “because it’s Mike Evans.”

And no one wants Evans to leave, but his departure and using that money elsewhere may be what’s in the best interest of the team. Think about another major team in the Tampa area that went through something similar recently.

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Julian BriseBois, GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning, was mercilessly attacked by fans on social media and message boards for allowing the greatest scorer in team history, Steven Stamkos, to walk in free agency and instead signing Jake Guentzel. Look at the Lightning now. No one is complaining about Guentzel being on the roster and no one is missing Stamkos’ decline happening elsewhere. It’s what was best for the short term and long term success of the franchise.

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If Mike Evans decides he’s going to walk away – or Jason Licht draws a hard line in the sand that he won’t cross when it comes to salary – then you move on and wish him the best. Evans wouldn’t be the first Bucs legend to play in another uniform and he won’t be the last. Warren Sapp and John Lynch both did it. Hell, Evans was a beneficiary when a legend left the only team he had ever played for to come to Tampa and win a Super Bowl. If Brady, Manning, Favre, Rice, and Emmitt Smith can wear a different jersey, then Evans can too.

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So when Evans makes his decision, no matter what that decision is, Bucs fans will still love and appreciate everything he did. They’ll think of him fondly every time his name is mentioned and if he does sign elsewhere then fans will celebrate and wish him nothing but love on the day he signs his one day contract to retire a Buc. They’ll flood Ray Jay with “13” jerseys on the day he’s inducted into the Ring of Honor, they’ll flood Canton, Ohio in red jerseys when his bust is enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

What this is going to boil down to is what Mike wants. If he wants to be in Tampa, they’ll make it work. If he wants to move on, he’ll find a place he wants to go. That doesn’t mean Jason didn’t try hard enough, it doesn’t mean Bowles can’t still win games without him. It just means that Mike was ready for something new. I mean, he watched one of his good friends do the same in 2020 – no reason he can’t follow in those same footprints.