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So the Bucs have a strong number of players making big money in 2026, and Joe expects Mike Evans to join that list soon after the free agency dinner bell rings in seven short days.
Speaking in Indianapolis last week, Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht said multiple times that his roster is rather “top-heavy” when it comes to salaries. That’s largely a function of drafting well. If you draft well, big contracts follow.
The Bucs are proud of being top-heavy. That designation doesn’t win you any prizes, but it’s not a negative in Tampa unless you are fully appalled by the contract extension cornerback Zyon McCollum signed last year.
Regardless, being “top-heavy” often means you’re not going to pay all your draft picks market value contracts when their rookie deals expire.
Joe is often asked about pending Bucs free agents Cade Otton, Logan Hall and Rachaad White, members of the Bucs’ 2022 draft class. Joe would bet a few bucks that none return to Tampa in 2026.
The Bucs already handed starting right tackle Luke Goedeke and McCollum fat second contracts from that 2022 draft class. Otton, White and Hall probably will command too much cash in free agency to have their returns make sense. White, as it’s widely known, wants to break the bandk with a new team.
Now if Mike Evans somehow leaves Tampa Bay, then the Bucs become less “top-heavy” and would have the freedom to, say, buy an established edge rusher, draft a couple of linebackers and possibly fix their defense in a hurry.