One of the biggest question marks for the 2019 season has been answered a season early. The Bucs enter the 2018 offseason officially locking up a premier NFL WR.
Jason Licht and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization locked up WR Mike Evans today to a 5 year deal. The deal is worth $82.5 million dollars during the contract, a contract that doesn’t even kick in until 2019. Evans is slated to make $13,258,000 million this coming season, so if you really think about it the following season will only see him make a little more than $3 million more on average during the course of the contract.
An elite talent
Evans will be entering his fifth season in the NFL (all with the Buccaneers) has done things a lot of NFL wide receivers have never done. He belongs to a small group of receivers who have four 1000 yards seasons, in their first four seasons at that. Locking a player up like Evans was a move Licht had to make, and he did it nicely. In an off-season where fans are clamoring for the Bucs to make moves, the Bucs GM made a huge one.
Jameis Winston will know have his favorite target for the next six seasons, as Evans won’t be a unrestricted free agent until 2024. Evans best season came in 2016 when he caught 96 passes for 1321 yards and 12 touchdowns that seasons would also mark the first time that Evans would get elected to the Pro Bowl.
Looking back to Draft day 2014
Many fans will remember in 2014, the Bucs fan base was clamoring for Johnny Manziel (Evans college QB) in the first round. Some seemed upset when Evans was selected 7th overall, but none are upset anymore. While Manziel did get drafted in the first round he didn’t last long in the NFL.
The Bucs still have a lot of holes to fill, at least in this off-season. One thing is for sure, a number one wide receiver isn’t going to be a big need for a little while.
