Mike Evans Ends Falcons' Free Agency Dream, Re-Signs With Rival Bucs

The Atlanta Falcons reportedly had interest in Mike Evans before he re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday morning.

Just over a week out from the start of free agency, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to retain star receiver Mike Evans by signing him to a two-year contract worth up to $52 million on Monday morning.

In doing so, the Bucs dashed the dreams of the many teams looking to acquire Evans in free agency, including their NFC South rivals. Shortly after the signing, Dianna Russini of The Athletic shared a list of the teams who were eyeing Evans if he were to hit the market, and surprisingly, the Atlanta Falcons were among them.

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"Multiple teams had Mike Evans on their free agent WR board and were hoping to land him in free agency," Russini tweeted. "Based on several team sources: Titans, Rams, Chiefs, Patriots, Giants, Panthers, Falcons, and Jaguars."

With over $40 million in cap space currently and a glaring need at receiver, The Falcons certainly could have made a play for Evans if he hit the market, even if actually signing him was an extreme long shot. Landing him would have been especially great for the Falcons because not only would they get an elite receiver, but they'd pry him away from the team that has won three straight division titles as well.

Evans, 30, is by far the greatest receiver in Buccaneers history. Over 10 seasons in Tampa Bay, the Texas A&M product has caught 762 passes for 11,680 yards and 94 touchdowns, dwarfing the numbers of any other Bucs pass-catcher.

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In 18 career games against the Falcons, Evans has caught 92 passes for 1,407 yards and 11 touchdowns, his most against any team tied with the Panthers. Unfortunately for the Falcons, they'll still have to deal with Evans twice a year.

As for the Falcons' need at receiver, they'll have to look elsewhere this offseason to shore up that position.