The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a great leader in Mike Evans, and the dramatics of Antonio Brown only serves to solidify this point.
On the day when the NFL kicks off its 100th season, the celebration was cast over by a whirlwind of news coming from the Oakland Raiders and their star wide receiver Antonio Brown. All of the drama surrounding Brown this summer makes the low maintenance and team-first mentality of Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans even more appreciated.
First Brown demanded a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers, then obtained frostbite on his feet from a cryotherapy session gone wrong, then the debacle over the use of an approved helmet, and it all came to a head on collision yesterday and trickled into today. The wide receiver posted to Instagram his displeasure for receiving fines for missing mandatory practice from Raiders’ general manager Mike Mayock.
Today Brown and Mayock were in an altercation started by the disgruntled wide receiver in which Brown had to be restrained by linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The Raiders are now reportedly set to suspend Brown for the altercation, which could void the guarantees in his contract and make him more expendable to release.
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Meanwhile in Tampa Bay, Evans has restructured his contract to clear more cap space for the Buccaneers not once, not twice, but three times. Evans was again named a captain yesterday, and deservedly so after posting 1,000 yard seasons in every year of his career to this point and remaining a strong presence in a young locker room.
After being selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Evans has exceeded expectations for the Bucs, has earned every penny of the extension he received last summer, and is firmly in the conversation for a top-five receiver in the league.
While Brown is clearly one of the top receivers in the league on the field, at what cost should a team tolerate his off-the-field actions? Luckily this is one question the Bucs do not have to ask about Evans.
As the Buccaneers get set to take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, be sure to give Evans a little more appreciation than he already deserves. While the Raiders have to sort out their mess with Brown and his summer antics, the Buccaneers can breathe easy knowing they have a great one in Evans.