The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to live with the disappointing end to their 2025 season. Instead of competing for a Super Bowl after a 6-2 start, the Buccaneers missed out altogether after going 2-7 in their final nine games of the season. Todd Bowles kept his job as head coach despite leading the charge during their late-season collapse. But his coaching staff dealt with turnover.
One of the main changes was at offensive coordinator, with Josh Grizzard fired and replaced by Zac Robinson, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons. He will have plenty of talent to work with, but there is some uncertainty at the wide receiver position. Mike Evans, who has been with the team since 2014, is a free agent, and had previously hinted at retiring at the end of this season. That was before suffering injuries that knocked him out for the majority of the season. So, will he return for another season?
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield recently appeared on The Ronde Barber Show and was asked if he had any pitch for Evans to return for thd 2026 season. Mayfield said that Evans doesn't need to be convinced that Evans doesn't "want it to end this way."
Baker Mayfield feels Mike Evans doesn't need much convincing to return for another run with Buccaneers
“I don't have to really plan for it,” Mayfield said, h/t ProFootballTalk. “Mike’s too much of a competitor and cares too much about Tampa to end his career without 1,000 yards, without a division championship, without a playoff run. And that, first of all, speaks to who Mike is but that’s the truth. And you know he doesn’t want to do that. You could just kind of feel it. Listen, I don’t have any info. I’ve told Mike, ‘This is your decision. Take your time doing it.’ But, understanding who Mike is, this is my guess, that he didn’t want it to end this way. He knows the potential if we’re able to stay a little bit more healthy. Zac will do great things for us, and we’ll go from there. But Mike’s got more in the tank. You could tell with the energy, the fire he had at the end of the year.”
Mayfield stresses that he has no inkling as to what decision Evans is leaning towards, but from knowing him over the past couple of years, he does believe he would want to return for another year.
As mentioned before, the season had not gone the way the Buccaneers had expected. Injuries played a major role in that, and Evans was a notable absence. Since entering the league as a rookie in 2014, Evans recorded 1,000 receiving yards ever year. At 11 seasons, he tied the legendary Jerry Rice for the longest streak of 1,000 receiving yard seasons. Evans had the chance to break the record this past season.
Unfortunately for Evans, he suffered two injuries. In Week 3, he suffered a hamstring injury, one that forced him out for three games. He would return in Week 7, but suffered a broken clavicle, which sideliend him for the next six games. He would return for the final four games of the season, but missed out on the playoffs due to an tiebreaker.
Through eight games, Evans recorded 30 receptions for 368 yards and three touchdowns on 62 targets.
The decision is up to both Evans and the Buccaneers. Does Evans want to run it back another year? And do the Buccaneers want to bring Evans back? Mayfield doesn't know his star wide receiver's answer, but based on beign teammates with him, he doesn't think he'd want to hang up his cleats just yet.