Two years ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went through the wringer, wondering if future Hall of Famer Mike Evans would return or leave in free agency. It's a road we're about to travel back down again this offseason, but we're starting to get a little bit of clarity on what might happen next.
Evans ultimately agreed to return to the Bucs at the 11th hour back in 2023, but this time around, retirement is on the table in ways it wasn't back then.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo gave our first big update from Evans' side during the Super Bowl 60 pregame coverage on Sunday. Unlike some of the unsubstantiated rumblings that have surfaced over the last few weeks, the latest update comes directly from agent Deryk Gilmore.
"Mike started the season in great shape. Most people in the organization said he probably had the best camp of everyone. He finished feeling better than he has in several seasons. I think his competitive nature leads to more football. That is my hope. Like most fans, I love watching him play," Gilmore said in a statement to Garafolo.
That's not exactly an endorsement that he'll be back with the Bucs, but we need to take this process one step at a time. Everything starts with whether Evans decides to return for a 13th season, something that seems pretty likely given what Gilmore had to say.
Now the big question becomes where Evans will play if he decides to return next year.
It sounds like Mike Evans will play in 2026, and it'll probably be for the Buccaneers
All signs still point toward the Bucs being the team Evans plays for, but that's not as much of a sure thing as fans might like. If there's something about the team's construction -- or a lack of pay -- that turns Evans off, he'll be a top target for Super Bowl contending teams looking to add an elite veteran to its offense.
There will be connections and rumors tossed out that have Evans signing with teams like the Bills, Chiefs, or Eagles, but all of that will be outside noise that overlooks a few pretty key factors.
For starters, Evans has made it clear that something he values is having the honor of playing his entire career with one team. He volunteered that information pretty routinely throughout his pending free agent saga back in 2023, and it remains as true as ever. Evans has fewer years ahead of him than he does behind him, so why bail on the idea of playing for one franchise when he's already this close?
Another thing to consider is how his family feels. Evans was set to test the market two years ago until his wife, Ashli, weighed in on how much she wanted the family to remain in Tampa. That was something that tipped the scales in the Buccaneers' favor and it's an incredibly important thing to consider this time around as well.
So much of what has made the post-Brady years successful is how well relationships have been managed -- and how meaningful they are to everyone involved. Baker Mayfield offered it up as a reason he re-signed and Chris Godwin left roughly $20 million on the table to come back as well.
Anything can still happen, but we've at least taken the first steps toward figuring out what the future might hold for one of the best Buccaneers to ever play the game.