MIKE EVANS: BUC FOR LIFE?
Just nine days before the regular season kicks off in Minneapolis, fellow BUCS fans got hit with some of the worst possible. Around 11:30p on Thursday night, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted, err posted, that Mike Evans is "likely playing his last year with Bucs..."
The headline and its attached story quickly became the talk of BUCS fandom and left many distraught. Other outlets picked up on the story in the early hours of Friday morning, and more and more fans caught wind of the contract situation. Around 8a, Evans' representative Deryk Gilmore of Day 1 Sports and Entertainment, released a statement issuing a deadline for the Buccaneers to make his client a "Buc for Life."
In the statement, Gilmore made a point to thank both General Manager Jason Licht and Assistant General Manager Mike Greenberg for their professionalism over the past two years while trying to negotiate a deal. It appears that Gilmore has pointed the finger towards the owners as the culprit for the snag in contract negotiations. In the penultimate paragraph of the statement, the agent states, "...we want the fans to know this is not a tactic, and the ball is in the owner's court." In conjunction with the gratitude as mentioned above towards the GMs, the situation paints the Glazer ownership in a bad light.
Shortly after, hashtags like #GlazersOut came from some in the fan base. This is a common sight for anyone who has followed the Glazers' ownership of Manchester United Futbol Club. The family has been under the scrutiny of its futbol team since 2015 when they bought the club and immediately went $787M in debt after borrowing assets from the company to make the purchase.
It's definitely bad news if the ownership is the holdup in Tampa. The group has zero issues being the target of angst, and they've survived protests and other acts of defiance from fans and big-name players alike. Allegedly, David Beckham, one of the biggest stars in the history of futbol, supported removing the family from ownership by donning a scarf that was a known symbol of protest of the Glazers back in 2010. In July of 2023, Beckham said of the Glazer Family's ownership, "Whoever is running your club, you want them to be passionate, be involved, make the right decisions, bring in the right players, and invest in the club." Plenty of BUCS fans have begged and pleaded for the same in Tampa for years, Super Bowl-winning year aside. And there's been lots of talks and rumors of the ownership being behind some of the Team's most questionable occurrences. From the firings of Tony Dungy and Mike Smith to the releasing of players like John Lynch and Gerald McCoy, there's no shortage of question marks surrounding the ownership's moves or involvement, even if the questions are whispered among fans rather than big talking points for beat reporters or in the national media.
For the last seven months, there have been outlandish rumors of Mike Evans getting traded to supposed "ready-to-win" teams since the BUCS are viewed as being in a "rebuild mode." This contract negotiation deadline has made those rumors talking points throughout national media coverage. Regarding an actual trade before or during the season, the Buccaneers would cut the knees right from under Coach Tod Bowles and Dave Canales. Beyond willfully taking the best offensive player on the Team away, it would kill morale for players on the field and upset the fan base. As previously mentioned, ownership seemingly has no problem with either. It would be waving the proverbial white flag on the season. The trade deadline would be after Week 8 on October 31st. Halloween. It's fitting, seeing how scary it is to imagine Evans leaving Tampa by trade or otherwise.
Many of the trades thrown out there have mentioned that the BUCS would be willing to part with Evans partially due to his age. Mike Evans turned 30 on August 21st. In no way has he shown any signs of deteriorating skills. Arguably, he's still the biggest offensive x-factor in the NFC South, and definitely a Top 10 Wide Receiver in the NFL. The widely-accepted thought of Evans or any WR falling off at age 30 is pretty wild. The best to play the position have all played well above 30 years of age. From Steve Smith(37) to Terrell Owens(37) to Jerry Rice(42), the position has seen great players maintain their level of competitiveness and athleticism long past the perceived prime years. Rice even signed a 7-year deal with San Francisco at 34, and he was a 1,000-yard receiver at the age of 40. Also, Evans has yet to suffer any injuries the likes of any of the players mentioned above en route to age 30.
At this point, it's important to note that neither Evans nor his representation has implied that he would ask for a trade, that he's definitely leaving the Team, or even "likely" leaving. The reality is that he could likely be playing the last year of his current contract. That doesn't rule out his signing another contract in Tampa. Evans has repeatedly said he wants to stay in Tampa and finish his career as a Buccaneer. But the deadline has been set before Evans and the BUCS embark on 18 weeks of a tough schedule where Evans will want to focus on the games and preparation rather than contracts. If no offer is made, Evans will play the last year of his contract in Tampa and possibly make it to the free agency period for the first time in his career, which could be a worst-case scenario for the Team.
If Evans departs the BUCS in free agency at the end of the season and gets a big deal(it actually hurts to type that), the Buccaneers would not gain much help offset the loss. This is due to Evans being a 10-year veteran at the end of year which, according to the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement which states, "no Club shall be entitled to a Compensatory Draft Selection before the end of the fifth round for any CFA (excluding quarterbacks) with ten or more Accrued Seasons at the time of signing with his new Club." In short, letting Evans get to free agency results in a 5th Round Comp pick at most.
It just so happens the BUCS need to rework a contract before Week 1 to alleviate some pressure and help with operational costs throughout the season. And Evans' is one of two contracts that make sense. His and Shaq Barrett's are prime candidates. Though Barrett's dead money, $13.5M, wouldn't hit until 2025 while Evans' $12.2M would affect next year's cap. Initially, it may look more advantageous to restructure Barrett's contract as it gives the Team an additional year of kicking the can down the road. Still, if one were to bet on who could mean more to the Team from an impact on-the-field standpoint and off-the-field, the bet would favour Evans. And if there's a slight chance you may lose one or the other based on said bet, Evans would get the nod.
So, how much is Evans worth to the Buccaneers? Is Mike Evans a big enough commodity to the Team to break the bank? Is the loyalty and Team-first attitude that Evans has shown in the five(5) restructures of his contracts to free up cap space meaningful enough to make him a Buc for Life? While the restructures weren't a reduction in pay, according to former head coach Bruce Arians, Evans went to management and offered to take less money to keep his teammates in place in order to win with the Team in 2021. Suppose the Buccaneers' owners are heavily involved in Evans' contract negotiation and looking to make business decisions. Isn't keeping their most significant on-the-field asset in town in their best interest?
Fellow BUCS fans and followers, especially season ticket holders and patrons, what would you do if the BUCS traded away Evans or let him walk in free agency? Leave a comment below.
