The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the midst of a mandatory minicamp that runs from June 16 to June 18 before departing for some time off ahead of training camp. It will be different for this team in 2026, as receiver Mike Evans is no longer around.
He signed with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, creating a void in the WR room, and quarterback Baker Mayfield discussed what that will look like for him going forward.
He revealed "it will be different without Mike (Evans)” but then added that the rest of the receivers on the team are “a luxury,” according to Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud.
Baker Mayfield talks about the WR room with Mike Evans gone
Mayfield did add that he's able to go through his reads and not force the ball. A big reason he feels that way is the depth Tampa Bay currently has in the receiver room. Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan will be the top three receivers going into the year, with Tez Johnson and Ted Hurst as the likely 4th and 5th receivers on the depth chart.
As a rookie in 2025, Egbuka really flashed, tallying a team-high 938 receiving yards with six scores. He showed that he can win at all three levels of the field and seems ready to take a leap this fall. Godwin is a proven veteran who is impactful in the short and intermediate areas of the field.
Although he's missed 18 games over the past two seasons, he has still reeled in 166 catches, 1,960 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns over the past three years with Mayfield. The most underrated option is McMillan, who was limited to just four games in 2025 due to three fractured vertebrae in his neck and two herniated discs.
Yet in 2024, he finished the year with 37 catches for 461 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. The tools are there for him to make a difference in this aerial attack. The Bucs have a nice litany of weapons at Mayfield's disposal, which is why he said the receivers on the team are a luxury.
Nonetheless, it will take some time to get adjusted to, as Evans is a future Hall of Famer. He's first in team history in catches (866), receiving yards (13,052), and receiving touchdowns (108). There's no replacing that kind of production, but Mayfield is still confident in the playmakers that he has in the room. And that should give fans some confidence going into the season.
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