Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ GM Doesn’t Hold Back On Mike Evans

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers recently agreed to a two-year deal with Mike Evans, preventing the star wide receiver from reaching free agency next week.

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht is thrilled to have Evans back in the fold for 2024 and beyond, and he said as much in a statement on Friday.

“The first 10 years of Mike’s time in Tampa have been truly unprecedented and we look forward to seeing him continue to break records and add to his legendary career as a Buccaneer,” Licht said, via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “Mike is a special player who has made a lasting impact on this franchise and in our community. As great as he’s been on the field, Mike and his wife, Ashli, have had an even bigger effect in the Tampa Bay area through all their charitable work. He is crucial to our team success and exemplifies everything we want our players to be.”

Evans, who played his collegiate football at Texas A&M, was selected by Tampa Bay with the seventh overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.

He immediately established himself as one of the best wide outs in football, playing in 15 games and catching 68 passes for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns during his rookie campaign.

That marked the first of 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons for Evans, which set an NFL record.

Most recently, Evans registered 79 passes for 1,255 yards and a league-leading 13 scores this past season, making his fifth trip to the Pro Bowl.

Evans’ best season thus far came back in 2018, when he hauled in 86 receptions for 1,524 yards while reaching the end zone eight times.

The wide out’s durability has also been very impressive, as he has played in at least 15 games in nine of his 10 NFL campaigns.

Mike Evans and the Bucs went 9-8 and captured the NFC South division title this past year. They then went on to rout the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs before falling to the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round.