There are very few NFL wide receivers that have been more consistently productive than Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Evans has been in the NFL for nine seasons, and he has exceeded 1,000 receiving yards in each of those nine seasons. During that time, he has racked up 683 receptions for 10,425 yards and 81 touchdowns. He's made four Pro Bowls and an All-Pro second team.
Heading into his age-30 season and the final season of the five-year, $82.5 million contract extension he signed back in 2018, Evans has been looking for a new deal. As of yet, the two sides have yet to come to an agreement, so on Friday, Evans' agent released a statement indicating that his client will cut off contract talks if no deal is reached by the day before the start of the Buccaneers' season.
Mike Evans’ agent, Deryk Gilmore, says in a statement they will suspend contract negotiations with the Bucs by next week if a new deal is not reached. It may be Evans’ final season in Tampa, and Gilmore says the ball is in the owner’s court. pic.twitter.com/3NSAlB2YZK
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) September 1, 2023
Deryk Gilmore said in the statement that Evans has yet to receive a contract offer from the Bucs, and said "the ball is in the owner's court" to find a way to keep Evans in Tampa beyond this year.
With the Bucs likely entering a rebuilding phase after the departure of Tom Brady, it is perhaps unsurprising that they are not bending over backward to pay Evans into his mid-30s. But Evans can still be an impact player, and he has performed at a high level throughout his entire career. If Tampa isn't going to offer him an extension, perhaps a trade sometime between now and the deadline could be on the horizon.
