Mike Evans to Giants? Why It Doesn't Make Sense
The New York Giants need a No. 1 receiver; that is clear. It is not as clear--but it is presumed--that Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans could be looking to move on after failing to reach a new contract with the team before the start of the 2023 season.
So, would Evans to the Giants be a potential match made in Big Blue Heaven? That's one option Bleacher Report's Alex Kay proposes in his list of ideal spots for the 30-year-old Evans to land.
While Big Blue's biggest question mark remains at the quarterback position—Daniel Jones was failing to live up to lofty expectations following the 2022 season even before suffering a torn ACL—the team may stay committed to the incumbent starter for one more season or opt to address this issue through the 2024 NFL draft. That leaves receiver as arguably the main free-agent priority during an offseason in which the franchise will have approximately $40 million in cap space to work with.
Evans has shown he can succeed regardless of who is throwing him the ball. After a highly successful stint at Texas A&M with Johnny Manziel as his quarterback, Evans went on to secure the first of a record-setting ten consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns to start his NFL career with Mike Glennon and Josh McCown rotating under center in Tampa.
Since that 2014 season, Evans has worked with four other starting signal-callers in addition to five offensive coordinators and four head coaches. He's found success with them all and should be able to seamlessly integrate into New York's system under head coach Brian Daboll.
I'm unsure where Kay, who published this article on January 22, came up with $40 million of cap space for the Giants. According to Over the Cap, the Giants have $22,037,691 of total space, of which $14,204,144 is their effective cap space (money needed for its top-51 salaries).
If, as Spotrac suggests, Evans' market value is indeed in the neighborhood of $23.8 million per year (based on a four-year, $95.343 million deal), then one doesn't need to be a capologist to see that there would have to be some major cap gymnastics to make the money work.
The second thing is that the Giants have been gravitating toward more of a youth movement on their roster, particularly at receiver. Making up the current core is Wan'Dale Robinson, heading into his third year; Jalin Hyatt, his second; and Darius Slayton, his sixth. If the Giants were to add a UFA receiver to the mix, the value might be better spent on someone like Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals or DJ Chark of the Carolina Panthers.
The Giants, who have to carry quarterback Daniel Jones on the roster this year given his cap hit, would probably be better off if they could find a No. 1 receiver in the draft to get on a rookie contract.
To spend a projected $23.8 million on a receiver such as Evans, who has ten straight 1,000-yard seasons, plus the $47.105 million that's currently tied up in Jones for 2024, comes to $70.905 million for two players, or roughly 29 percent of the total projected cap, creating an unsightly top-heavy scenario that could potentially keep the Giants from addressing other roster needs in 2024.
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