The saga of Mike Evans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has had several twists and turns over the last several days, but it appears as though there could be a light at the end of the tunnel.
Tampa Bay is Making A Serious Push To Keep Evans
On February 24, Jenna Laine of ESPN reported that the Buccaneers wanted Evans to retire as a member of the franchise. However, GM Jason Licht said on Tuesday that the receiver had “earned the right to speak to other teams in free agency and to decide where he wants to continue his playing career.”
Evans’ agent Deryk Gilmore told Pewter Report on Wednesday, “I just think that he basically wants to look at all 32 teams. I can’t go out here and say, ‘Oh, yeah. We’re looking for a new team.’ I mean, that hasn’t been the mindset here.”
The situation took another turn when Laine posted to X on Saturday that the Buccaneers were now going to make a whole-hearted push to re-sign Evans rather than see him potentially play in a different jersey.
“Update: I’m told that the Bucs met with Mike Evans’ representatives Darren Jones and Deryk Gilmore at the NFL combine Thursday night and will aggressively pursue trying to re-sign him,” Laine wrote, quoting her original post that had Licht giving Evans the right to look at any team he wanted.
2025 was an incredibly frustrating season for the veteran receiver. Six of the Buccaneers’ nine losses were by one touchdown or less, and what made matters worse is that for the first time in his NFL career, Evans couldn’t be on the field for a significant length of time.
Due to a collarbone injury and a hamstring issue, he played in only eight games during the 2025 campaign. Then, after battling to get back onto the field, which happened in Week 15, he watched the season slip away.
Update: I’m told that the Bucs met with Mike Evans’ representatives Darren Jones and Deryk Gilmore at the NFL combine Thursday night and will aggressively pursue trying to re-sign him. https://t.co/661NXRR9mq
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) February 28, 2026
Evans rejoined a 7-7 Tampa Bay team and then went through a 28-29 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and a 20-23 loss to the Carolina Panthers; both divisional games that cost them the postseason.
Prior to 2025, Evans had surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in every single season of his career, including catching 24 touchdowns in 2023 and 2024 combined. For a 12-year veteran who has 13,052 yards and 108 receiving touchdowns, there is no doubting the consistency and production he brings.
Evans ranked 65th on the PFSN NFL WR Impact metrics with a 72.1 impact score for the 2025 NFL season.
After some back-and-forth, it now seems the Buccaneers agree with what Evans brings to the table and want to ensure he retires with Tampa Bay. There is no question that Evans would improve the 2026 Buccaneers roster, but would he feel like they gave him what he needed?
That will depend on the value that Licht and the front office place on a player who will be 33 when the 2026 season kicks off, especially coming off an injury-plagued campaign.
