Now that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have all of their coaching ducks in a row, the next phase of the offseason involves finding ways to improve the roster. There's a pretty clear leader in the clubhouse for what should be a top priority, as addressing pass rush help is something the Bucs can't afford to ignore.
One way or another Tampa Bay will need to figure something out at edge rusher. Calijah Kancey is on a fantastic career trajectory, but he's only one guy and can only do so much. We saw those limitations last season when Kancey crushed it, but no one else followed his lead.
Yaya Diaby ranks near Kancey as a pass rush threat of the future, but the Bucs need depth beyond those guys if competing for a Super Bowl is a serious goal. We'd all like to think it is, which is why rumors that Myles Garrett wants a trade out of Cleveland has fans percolating with excitement.
As it turns out, it's not just Bucs fans who are trying to manifest a Garrett trade this offseason.
Mike Evans drops a not-so-subtle hint about the Buccaneers trading for Myles Garrett
Mike Evans recently appeared on the Loose Cannons Podcast, breaking down which NFL players he thinks would make up a perfect starting five in basketball alongside him when Myles Garrett's name came up. He initially seemed to buzz right past the not-so-subtle push before grabbing and alley-ooping it by throwing in a line that is sure to raise some eyebrows.
"He'll look good in Bucs red, too," Evans said. "We'll take Myles. I meant in the starting five but that too."
Last night, we had Mike Evans give his Starting 5 of NFL players to play basketball with… and well, there’s one guy who got everyone’s attention, including Mike himself 👀 pic.twitter.com/qOSRT4vT2q
— The Loose Cannons Podcast (@LooseCannonsTB) February 12, 2025
Oh he knows exactly what he's doing with that.
Evans could have downplayed the question or simply buzzed right past it, which is what you typically see in these sorts of situations. Instead he circled back and went out of his way to engage with it, which sends a pretty crystal clear message that it's not just Buccaneers fans thinking about a potential Garrett trade.
It should come as no surprise that Evans would even subliminally be advocating for a trade like this. Garrett is a game-changing force on defense, and it would add another future Hall of Famer to Todd Bowles' unit. Not only would Garrett instantly fix the pass rush issues Tampa Bay needs to address, but it would be the type of trade that propels the Bucs a lot higher in the power rankings than they are right now.
Garrett isn't the only edge rusher who could be on Tampa Bay's radar this offseason. Maxx Crosby could be on the move out of Las Vegas, a place where the Bucs have an old friend running the show in John Spytek. That doesn't mean they'd get Crosby on the cheap, but Spytek being there and valuing draft picks the way he does could help grease the wheels in more than one way.
If nothing else it's nice to know that Evans is thinking exactly what every Buccaneers fan is about the Garrett rumors. Right now there's nothing definitive -- or even close to happening -- but he send a pretty crystal clear message that is sure to reach Jason Licht's ears sooner rather than later.
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