Mike Evans has spent his entire career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he departed for the San Francisco 49ers during the 2026 NFL offseason. This will force some of their younger wide receivers to step up in a big way, such as Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan. Todd Bowles recently addressed the situation and acknowledged how tough it was to lose the legendary veteran.
Todd Bowles Addresses the Buccaneers’ Plan to Replace Mike Evans
Evans has consistently performed among the best wide receivers in the NFL, including being the only player ever to begin his career with 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. His legendary run with the Buccaneers also included his selection to the Pro Bowl six times as the primary passing target in their offense.
Bowles was recently asked about Evans’ departure for the 49ers during the 2026 offseason. He said it will be challenging to replace him, but laid out their potential plan to do so.
“That was tough. He’s the best of the best on and off the field. I can’t say enough good things about him. They got a great one as they know … But we got a lot of guys that can step up in that room with Emeka and Godwin coming back healthy. We got J-Mac coming back healthy, Tez after a full season. So we feel confident that we have those guys, but make no mistake about it, we’ll miss the presence of that guy,” said Bowles.
#Bucs HC Todd Bowles speaking on GMFB, says on how difficult it was seeing Mike Evans leave for the 49ers:
“That was tough. He’s the best of the best on and off the field. I can’t say enough good things about him. They got a great one as they know. We know how great he was.…
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) March 30, 2026
The Buccaneers struggled to find consistency from their wide receivers last season, partly due to various injuries and their unproven youth at the position. None of their players finished among the top 50 wide receivers in PFSN’s Impact Rankings, including Evans, who finished a career-worst 65th last year.
Despite Evans having a down season that may have been impacted by his age and injuries, Bowles acknowledged how difficult it will be to replace him in Tampa Bay, both on and off the field. He has been a focal point of their passing game and a team captain, so their offense will need to make major adjustments.
Bowles mentioned almost all of their wide receivers as candidates to step up into larger roles this year, but said they are going to miss having Evans around. Egbuka and McMillan may be the two most likely to be elevated, but they lack proven experience as a top target.
