Getty Mike Evans could land with another team in 2023.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star wide receiver Mike Evans faces a crossroads this year, but he could wear a different uniform before ever hitting the field this fall.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport proposed a trade where the Bucs send Evans to the Kansas City Chiefs. Evan’s future with the Bucs faces uncertainty in the final year of his five-year, $82 million deal on a team that’s retooling after Tom Brady‘s retirement. The Chiefs, meanwhile, could use another Pro Bowl-caliber receiver after losing JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency to the New England Patriots, another team that Davenport floated as a destination.
“The Buccaneers could accelerate a rebuild with the draft capital gained in trading Evans,” Davenport wrote. “And even if Evans isn’t the dominant force he once was, he could still make a big difference for a contending team.”
Davenport noted Evans’ historic nine-consecutive 1,000-yard seasons — unmatched in NFL history. The Bucs’ No. 7 draft pick in 2014 has amassed 10,425 yards and 81 touchdowns in that span, and he earned four Pro Bowl appearances and one second-team All-Pro appearance.
“However, as consistent and productive as Evans has been throughout his career, he appeared last year to have lost a step —he averaged less than 15 yards a catch for the third straight year and scored his fewest touchdowns since 2017,” Davenport wrote.
Evans tallied 77 receptions for 1,124 yards and six touchdowns in 2022, but previous years signal great potential for an interested team. He tallied 27 touchdowns between 2020 and 2021 in addition to 70 or more receptions both of those seasons.
Loyalty Factor Could Keep Mike Evans in Tampa
Kansas City would also face the hurdle of making a convincing offer amid the loyalty between the Bucs and Evans. Tampa Bay drafted Evans in 2014 with the No. 7 pick, and he restructured his contract multiple times to stay with the team and make room for more talent.
“Publicly, at least, the Buccaneers have given little indication that they intend to move Evans, despite trade rumors that have circulated around the 29-year-old much of the offseason,” Davenport wrote.
As Davenport noted, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles denied any trade consideration for Evans. Bowles called Evans “one of my favorite guys on the team” in an interview with CBS’ Pete Prisco as transcribed by JoeBucsFan.com.
Mike Evans Set Pass a Bunch of Big Names in 2023
If Evans continues on his career trajectory in 2023, he will eclipse a slew of past big-name receivers as JoeBucsFan.com noted.
Evans has averaged nine touchdowns per season, which puts him at 30th on the all-time list with 81 career scores. If Evans gets at least nine touchdowns, he will pass Calvin Johnson, Irving Fryar, Andre Rison, Antonio Brown, Andre Reed, and Reggie Wayne among others.
As JoeBucsFan.com pointed out, Evans will tie former Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski at 92 with 11 touchdowns in 2023. The Bucs blogger gave a little extra nod to Evans if that were to happen.
“Joe would love to see Evans clock 11 touchdowns this season,” JoeBucsFan.com wrote. “Gronk needed 11 seasons [to reach 92] — with the greatest quarterback in NFL history throwing him the football.”
Evans had three seasons of Brady, five seasons of mainly Jameis Winston, and Josh McCown primarily before that.
