Mike Evans has been one of the NFL’s most consistently productive receivers across his 10-year career, going for 1,000+ receiving yards every season since he entered the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, he could change teams for the first time this offseason, and he is expected to command quite the payday as a free agent.
Mike Evans Expected To Cash in as Free Agent
Evans always seemed to be a natural candidate for a big contract this offseason as one of the top wide receivers available on the market and a player with a consistent track record of production.
An estimated figure has now been put to his value, as the Houston Chronicle reported Friday that Evans is expected to command anywhere from $25 to $30 million per season for his upcoming contract.
At 30 years old, Evans is not getting any younger and thus could be all the more motivated to cash in with a lucrative, long-term contract. This could be his last true chance to command that level of money, as his production will inevitably decline at some point due to the athleticism needed to be successful as a wide receiver.
Though Evans has shown no signs of slowing down, maintaining the lofty standard set throughout his successful NFL career.
The former first-round draft pick out of Texas A&M was selected seventh overall by the Buccaneers in the 2014 NFL Draft. He immediately took off from there, starting 15 games as a rookie, hauling 68 passes for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Evans has only built on that production ever since, gaining more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of his 10 professional seasons. His most productive season yardage-wise came in 2018 when he caught 86 passes for 1,524 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games for the Buccaneers.
He has earned five Pro Bowl nods throughout his career, including one this past season after catching 79 passes for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns as a key part of Tampa Bay’s reaching the playoffs.
Those accolades could make him an in-demand target this offseason for teams with salary cap space. One team that could add his services is the Arizona Cardinals if they look to make a splash by adding playmakers around Kyler Murray; the Houston Texans are another team that has come up in Evans-related rumors.
The Chronicle’s reporting dampened those expectations a bit, though, as Evans is from Galveston (roughly an hour outside of Houston) and was spotted at a Houston Rockets game on Jan. 31. Evans told Rockets beat reporter Coty Davis at the game, “I’m excited to see where I am going to end up.”
Re-signing with the Buccaneers remains a possibility, with the franchise likely having the needed cap space and holding plenty of motivation to bring back the key playmaker.
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Still, whether Evans gets a lucrative deal from Tampa Bay or elsewhere remains to be seen.
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