With free agency set to open on Monday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have resigned all three of their top free agents including wide receiver Mike Evans.
Evans was the first to sign and made it official last Friday. The Buccaneers have also franchised safety Antoine Winfield Jr. He will make around 17.4 million this season.
Late Sunday afternoon, the Buccaneers announced that they had agreed with quarterback Baker Mayfield on a three-year, 100 million-dollar contract to stay in Tampa. Fifty million would be guaranteed, with the contract’s maximum value at 115 million.
We will have more on the Mayfield contract at FLTeams.com once Mayfield meets with the media at One Buc Place.
Mike Evans Inks New Deal With The Buccaneers
Mike Evans signed a two-year 41 million-dollar contract. The face value of the contract is $41 million, but that could go as high as $52 million with incentives.
It appeared that Evans was ready to explore the free agent market. He happened to be at dinner with his wife Ashli, and she said, “Babe, maybe we should stay in Tampa.”
Evans said, “I mean, I wanted to be in Tampa, and they offered me great money. It wasn’t about the money. I just wanted to see everything as a whole and see if we were going to get Baker back and things like that. But I know I can play with whoever is at quarterback. Obviously, I hope it’s Baker.”
Evans said the recruitment from other players and teams was real. But he ultimately decided to stay in Tampa, where he has built his foundation over the years, and stay in the only place he has called home as a pro.
Evans has played his entire career in Tampa. He did wonder what it would be like to play with his friends on another team. “When you play for one team for so long, you obviously think about what it would be like to play somewhere else,” Evans said. “I have a lot of friends on other teams, and it was a cool dream, but Tampa is my home. It’s where I’ve always wanted to be. My agent got a great deal done with Jason, and I couldn’t pass up on it.”
Evans Wants To Be Better In 2024
Evans thinks he can be even better next season than this past season when he and Tyreek Hill led the NFL in touchdown catches with 13.
“There’s a lot more for me to chase and a lot more that I have to prove to myself and the fanbase. I left a lot on the table last year, and I know there’s some things I can do this offseason to fix that. Have better focus and be in a little bit better shape. I can definitely be better than I was last year.”
Evans was Jason Licht’s first pick as GM back in 2014. So Licht has strong feelings for Mike Evans and his family.
“Mike’s obviously an extraordinary player, but he and his wife, Ashli, are extraordinary people. They’ve done unprecedented things in the community as well as on the field. He means so much to this community, fanbase, organization, (and) to me, personally.”
Evans has a high opinion of quarterback Baker Mayfield and has called him one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He thinks that a contract between the Buccaneers and Mayfield is imminent.
“I’m extremely confident. I’m not 100 percent, but he played really great for us last year. The city took him in. The players loved him.
Hopefully, we get him back, but he should do what’s best for him.”
The free agency period will open on Monday, and the Buccaneers ensured that the top three free agents will be back in Tampa for the 2024 season.