In the 2025 Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t draft for need in the first round. Instead, the team selected a talented player they had fallen in love with throughout the pre-draft process: Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka has proven that to be the right decision every day since the draft. The rookie immediately impressed the Bucs with his pro-ready mindset, and he has the skills to match, scoring an epic game-winning touchdown in his debut.
Now, the hope is that Egbuka will continue to meet expectations, and eventually take the baton from franchise legend Mike Evans, as Tampa Bay’s WR1. While the two currently look like a really good duo, the official exchange of the baton could come much sooner than fans hope. That became clear when Evans recently revealed that retirement is on the table for him after this season.
Mike Evans could hand the baton to Emeka Egbuka after hinting at retirement
Fans know Evans is near the end of the road, but since he’s a franchise legend, and still producing at a high level, it was always going to be tough to say goodbye when he decided to hang up the cleats. That hasn’t changed, but the presence of Egbuka will make transitioning to a post-Evans era a little bit easier for Tampa Bay.
The best thing a franchise could do is find the replacement for an elite player earlier rather than later. Egbuka has only played one game, but if he continues to meet expectations like the Buccaneers think he will, he could be the perfect replacement for Evans. Mike Evans will obviously leave huge shoes to fill, but somebody has to try to do it, and Egbuka will be the guy.
Tampa Bay also still has Chris Godwin, who recently returned to the practice field. When healthy, Godwin is still a productive receiver that could help fill any void left by Evans. While the Bucs may be prepared for Mike Evans to retire, fans will never be ready for the day. The inevitable day may come after this season, but Evans could also decide to stay around a little bit longer. Whenever the day is, having Emeka Egbuka on the roster will help adjust.