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Report: Buccaneers' Mike Evans 'Wants to Explore His Options' in Free Agency

There will be a number of contending teams who should (and will) be interested in luring the future Hall of Famer to their city. And unfortunately for the Buccaneers, there's no question that some of those teams will have a compelling pitch to make.

Collin Haalboom

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Mike Evans is the greatest offensive player in the history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise. 

His decade-long streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start his career, all with the Buccaneers, is impressive. His league-leading 13 receiving touchdowns this past season added to his impressive career total of 94, further extending his position atop the franchise record books. His role in delivering a second Lombardi trophy to the organization in 2020 can not be forgotten either.

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Evans' production on the field speaks for itself. His selfless attitude, leadership in the locker room, and the countless contributions he's made to the Tampa community only adds to Evans' iconic status as one of the most accomplished and beloved Buccaneers ever. 

All of these factors, combined with Evans' loyalty to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the past 10 years, have led most fans in Tampa to assume that Evans' re-signing in Tampa Bay was more a matter of 'when' and not 'if'. 

Well, with the NFL combine underway this week, and practically all NFL personnel (league and media alike) mingling about, it's no surprise when rumors start to swirl regarding free agents.

But regarding Mike Evans' status as a free agent, this recent report from Senior NFL Insider, Dianna Russini, may come as a bit of a surprise to some of those loyal fans in Tampa Bay.

According to Russini, for the first time in his career, Mike Evans wants to "explore his options" in free agency. 

As Russini states, "This doesn't mean Evans' time as a Buc is over, but he plans on hearing from all teams before making a decision". 

Bucs' GM, Jason Licht, has made it abundantly clear that he wants Evans to remain in Tampa Bay, and ultimately retire a Buccaneer. That said, it is a player's right to explore what other options exist on the open market. And for a player the caliber of Mike Evans -- who openly expressed his desire to re-sign in Tampa Bay prior to this season -- that is certainly his right.

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Fans in Tampa surely hope that Evans simply wants to explore his options to gain some extra leverage in his negotiations with the Bucs. Which very well could be the case. That said, there will be a number of contending teams who should (and will) be interested in luring the future Hall of Famer to their city. And unfortunately for the Buccaneers, there's no question that some of those teams will have a compelling pitch to make. 

How seriously will Mike Evans consider those opportunities? Only time will tell.

You can follow Collin Haalboom on Twitter.

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Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.