Report: Buccaneers 'Far Apart' From Finding New Deal With Star Wide Receiver Mike Evans

The Buccaneers are hoping they can keep their star veteran wide receiver in Tampa.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' wide receiver Mike Evans has been the consummate player, teammate, and community advocate since arriving in Tampa Bay ten years ago out of Texas A&M. He has been the epitome of consistent as evidenced by his ten consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards. He has been named a Pro-Bowler numerous times while also obtaining a Super Bowl ring.

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Evans has expressed his desire to remain in Tampa Bay in the hopes of getting a contract extension done. Prior to the 2023 season, Evans and his agent set a deadline for getting a contract in before the season began, but that never came to fruition. Now, Evans and the Buccaneers still have yet to come to an agreement on an extension and it appears likely that the star wideout will be headed toward free agency according to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz.

The #Buccaneers had a soft deadline today to get an extension done with Pro Bowl WR Mike Evans, but both sides remain far apart, sources say. Tampa Bay is set to take on $7.4M in 2024 dead money by not getting a deal done today. @BleacherReport

Talks will continue, but my… pic.twitter.com/fNJJFuRceH

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 19, 2024

Apparently, both the Bucs and Evans are far apart on what the extension could or should look like. If a deal isn't reached today, the Buccaneers organization will have to take on a great deal of dead cap money. Talks can and likely will continue despite a deal not happening by today and much of that could come down to what the Bucs plan is when it comes to working out a deal with QB Baker Mayfield.

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Evans has been rumored to be wanting a deal similar to what Rams' WR Cooper Kupp and Raiders' WR Davante Adams recently received. I believe that this is obtainable for Evans as he continues to showcase how elite of a weapon he is when on the field.

Evans has plenty of time to wait things out and he likely will until he has a clear answer on who will be slinging him the rock in 2024. He and Baker seemed to connect well in their first season together so retaining both assets on the offensive side of the ball will go a long way in retaining the continuity the team showed at the end of last season.

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