Mike Evans Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We won’t have to wait long to find out whether or not Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans stays with the team or goes elsewhere — we’re just 1 week away from NFL free agency.
If you’re reading the tea leaves, however, you might want to buckle up for what could be a sad parting of the ways between Evans, the franchise’s greatest wide receiver of all time, and the only team he’s ever known.
“I truly believe (Evans) will be in a new uniform next year,” NBC’s Matthew Berry wrote on Monday. “The Buccaneers love him, but given the commitment they made to Chris Godwin last year and a deep young WR room, Tampa Bay is okay letting him go elsewhere. I heard Buffalo as a potential landing spot for Evans and possibly Philly if the Eagles decide to move A.J. Brown.”
Seeing Evans on either 1 of those teams is going to sting a little bit, but it might sting a little more if he stays in the NFC and goes and plays for the Evil Empire that is the Philadelphia Eagles.
Imagine if Evans wins a second Super Bowl with another team, even?
Godwin Contract Could Be All-Time Mistake
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine put Godwin, who signed a 3-year, $66 million contract extension in March 2025, as No. 1 on the list of Tampa Bay’s “Top Trade Assets” this offseason.
The only problem there? Exactly 0 teams would take on Godwin and his contract in its current form after what he put on the field in 2025. The Buccaneers paying him what they did could end up being an all-time franchise mistake — and 1 that keeps them out of the playoffs for a 2nd consecutive season in 2026.
“Trading away Chris Godwin could free up $5.8 million to bring back Mike Evans while continuing to develop Emeka Egbuka,” Ballentine wrote. “Godwin will be 30 next season and will be coming off back-to-back seasons with significant injuries.”
They can’t trade Godwin so they can’t keep Evans. If you’re guessing which one of those aging veterans is more in line to have another 1,000-yard season who’s your money on?
Godwin’s Recent Injury History Cause for Concern
It’s not accurate to say Godwin has back-to-back seasons with significant injuries — it’s one injury that’s essentially wiped out 2 seasons in his prime.
The Buccaneers, for some inexplicable reason, signed Godwin to his $66 million extension coming off a catastrophic leg injury which cost him the final 10 games of the 2024 regular season.
In 2025, as Tampa Bay fell apart with an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019, Godwin did little to help with career lows of 33 receptions for 360 yards and 2 touchdowns as he missed a career-high 8 games.
That’s 18 games — a complete regular season plus 1 — over the last 2 years alone.
The most confusing thing about Godwin’s struggles was he never went on injured reserve to start the season, which he obviously should have. He returned in Week 4, wasn’t fully recovered from his 2024 injury, then had to miss another 5 games.
It’s fair to ask some questions now as to what went wrong in what should have been a fairly straightforward process, and why Tampa Bay’s medical and training staff wasn’t better equipped to diagnose and identify problems with his Godwin’s recovery.