PFF Identifies One Move Buccaneers Need To Make Before Training Camp

The Buccaneers were much more active than expected this offseason but they could make one more deal to put a bow on the transactions list.

David Harrison | Jun 29, 2023

In this story:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be feeling more blessed than a lot of organizations these days.

Beyond the relevantly new Lombardi Trophy sitting in the team’s headquarters, the Buccaneers were chosen as the final playing destination for Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.

And beyond that three-year mercenary deal that produced the latest Super Bowl title, Tampa Bay is home to an even better steward of the franchise: star receiver, Mike Evans.

“Evans has shown plenty of times that he’s a team-first guy, including the mere fact he’s set to enter the final season of his five-year extension signed in 2018,” says Pro Football Focus’s Brad Spielberger. “Along those lines, we projected an extension for Evans here that is below what he could probably push for if he really wanted to drive a hard bargain."

“Evans has had the type of impact in Tampa that arguably deserves a Ring of Honor induction ceremony while he’s still on the roster in a few years.”

Spielberger identifies extending Evans as the one move the Buccaneers should make ahead of training camp, and we couldn’t agree more.

In their projection earlier this month, Evans and the Bucs agree to a three-year/$63 million deal with $42 million guaranteed.

Considering that we live in an NFL world today where star players rarely play the last year of their existing contracts without holdouts, hold-ins, or social media displays of unhappiness, Tampa Bay having a player of Evans’s caliber on the team without drama is refreshing.

The fact that he’s entering his 10th professional year looking to extend an already improbable record of nine-straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons just makes it even more astounding.

And makes it even more important the team finds a way to keep this franchise legend where he belongs, in a Buccaneers uniform.

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the season.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

Published Jun 29, 2023

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has been in sports media since 2015 using written, audio, and video media to cover athletes, coaches, and games. In addition to covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for BucsGameday and Locked On Bucs he also covers the Washington Commanders for Commander Country and Locked On Commanders and the Washington Wizards for Inside the Wizards. David also covers the NFL as a whole as one of the Friday hosts for Locked On NFL. He is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and previously spent 20 years as an active member of the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.