There are extremely few Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans who actually want to see No. 1 wide receiver and franchise icon Mike Evans leave the club this offseason, and even though the Buffalo Bills seem like a favorite to potentially steal the Texas A&M product away from signal caller Baker Mayfield, all signs still point to Evans staying in the city that loves him the most.
However, the Buccaneers do have to consider the very real possibility that Evans could walk this offseason, because, for the first time, the Bucs are allowing Evans to truly test the waters. That has even led some fans to worry that Jason Licht, armed with a talented young group of wide receivers, could be more willing to let the legend walk than anyone thought.
If Evans were to leave the Buccaneers, Buccaneers and NFL Draft analyst JC Cornell brings up an interesting idea that Oregon Ducks grad Kenyon Sadiq could actually be an option to replace Mike Evans despite being a tight end.
Kenyon Sadiq is a real gamble
Sadiq already came into the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine as a likely first round pick, frequently mocked to the Buccaneers in the first round of the draft. And although most people reasonably want the Buccaneers to go defense at No. 15, the reality is that the dream targets like Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles of Ohio State Buckeyes fame tested themselves out of the Bucs range. And the linebacker position is deep enough that the Bucs will likely get some great picks in the second round like Kyle Louis, Jacob Rodriguez, or even CJ Allen (among others). Meanwhile, if an edge rusher falls, like Cashius Howell with his short arms, they could just as easily fall to the Bucs in round two.
The tight end position is not as deep, and while the Bucs could find value after the first round, they are not going to find a unicorn like Sadiq who ran an insane 4.39 forty. If anything, he was underutilized at Oregon, mostly put in space and as a red zone weapon. An ideal upgrade over Cade Otton, Sadiq does have boom or bust to him.
But Sadiq could help replace Evans by being a safety valve, one on one mis match maker, inside outside versatile, and red zone maven matchup nightmare for Baker Mayfield to lean on while Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, Tez Johnson, and Jalen McMillan operate as the actual wide receivers. It is a bold call to replace Evans's impact and production with a tight end, but Sadiq may be the missing piece the Bucs need to have the best passing offense in the NFL with the Bake under center.