Last season ended with Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans keeping his streak of 1,000-yard seasons alive, which sent fans into the offseason with a far different mood than the same time a year prior.
The 2023 season was largely defined by the looming specter of Evans' impending free agency. Tampa Bay refused to give him a new contract before the season, and everything he did after that was colored with that context.
Thankfully, things came to a happy conclusion, with Evans signing a two-year extension to remain with the Bucs through 2025. That contract ends at the end of this upcoming season, though, and a team that was reportedly targeting Evans might have just made Tampa Bay re-signing him a lot more difficult.
Mike Evans' price might have just gone up thanks to Garrett Wilson
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Jets and Wilson agreed to a historic four-year, $130 million contract extension that includes $90 million guaranteed.
It's an absolutely massive deal, with the last nugget about it being of potentially key interest to the Buccaneers -- Wilson is going to get paid $30 million a year. The entire deal seemingly gives Evans leverage to ask for more money and raises the question of when the two sides will begin to talk about a new deal getting done.
Evans is in the final year of a two-year, $41 million extension with the Bucs, a contract that pays $10 million less than what Wilson makes annually. While Evans is older, the talent gap isn't that big, and it wouldn't be outrageous for him to ask for a raise based on the new market value.
There's plenty of time for a deal to get done, but it's hard not to read the tea leaves and get at least a little ahead of ourselves, though.
If Evans continues his career beyond next season, it's likely that he'll prefer to remain in Tampa Bay than spend his last years somewhere unfamiliar. The Bucs are Super Bowl contenders, so there's no reason for him to go and chase that elsewhere, and there's an entire career's worth of continuity in the building.
Evans has spoken candidly about wanting to retire having played for only one team, and fans are right there alongside him with that wish. It would take something massive to drive a wedge between the Bucs and Evans, but the wide receiver market will look a lot different than it did the first time these conversations were had.
There's nothing to panic about now, but this new deal for Wilson and how rich the receiver market will be next year is something to keep an eye on moving forward.
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