Mike Evans, Denver Broncos
Getty
Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the field against the AFC in the NFL Pro Bowl Games.
The Denver Broncos could have a pair of towering perimeter targets for quarterback Bo Nix next season, but there is at least one significant obstacle keeping an option–pending Tampa Bay Buccaneers free agent Mike Evans–off the roster for 2026.
That is fellow wideout Courtland Sutton.
One of the longest-tenured Broncos, and a consummate pro and team player, Sutton’s amenability to such a move is not the issue.
Broncos Deemed Unlikely Landing Spot for 6-Time Pro Bowler
Mike Evans
GettyMike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks on prior to a game against the Carolina Panthers.
Sutton is a two-time Pro Bowler, team captain, and finally received his long-sought-after extension from the Broncos last year, keeping Nix’s top target and one of his biggest supporters on the roster for the foreseeable future.
That is the problem. Evans and Sutton would be daunting for opposing defensive backs to cover.
Their games are too similar for Evans’ camp to view Denver as a realistic landing spot.
“Asked Mike Evans’ agent Deryk Gilmore if Evans has interest in #Broncos. Said offensive-minded coach/OC checks out,” The Denver Post’s Luca Evans reported on X on March 2, adding a significant caveat.
“They’d have to want to get rid of Courtland Sutton. I don’t think they’re going to do that. So I don’t think (Evans) ends up there.”
That is as close to definitive as one can get, save for the player turning down an offer.
Evans is a six-time Pro Bowler and 2021 Super Bowl champion. He is coming off a two-year, $41 million contract, and he has earned $154.9 million in his career. Spotrac projected a $13.3 million annual salary with a two-year, $26 million pact as an example of what Evans might receive.
If that were the only issue, the Broncos could overcome it, as teams often do, creating room by reworking contracts of some players on the roster and cutting ties with others.
Mike Evans Impactful in Latter Stages of Career
Mike Evans
GettyMike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers points against the Washington Commanders.
Evans would be a high-profile addition to the Broncos’ roster if that somehow came to fruition. He is not the player that he once was, and injuries took their toll in 2025. He played in eight games due to a hamstring issue and a broken clavicle.
Despite that, he remains a difference-maker.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper ranked Evans as the seventh-best free agent overall and the top wide receiver on the market this offseason.
“Evans’ record-tying streak of 11 consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards ended in 2025,” Popper wrote in February. “He still has a rare size-speed-physicality blend. Evans is elite at the catch point in 50-50 situations. He is tough to handle at the line of scrimmage, even for bigger corners. And he is a three-level threat who can win in the short, intermediate and deep parts of the field.
“Evans was finally healthy for a Week 15 game against the Atlanta Falcons. He caught six passes for 132 yards. This game showed he still has the goods, though health will be a factor as Evans enters his age 33 season.”
Broncos WR Options
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
GettyCourtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos speaks to the media before the AFC Pro Bowl practice.
At any rate, the Broncos’ options are not as simple as rostering and putting another high-level option opposite Sutton, the Broncos’ X receiver. Instead, they must also find a proper complement to what he brings to the table as a big-bodied, downfield threat.
The Broncos rotated recent draft picks Marvin Mims, Pat Bryant, and Troy Franklin alongside Sutton this past season.
But they were finalists for New England Patriots star Stefon Diggs in free agency last offseason.
The Broncos have been linked to the likes of Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown this offseason, and there could be an opportunity to acquire arguably the best receiver in the game, Justin Jefferson, from the Minnesota Vikings as soon as next offseason.
All of those variables are significant and must be part of the Broncos’ decision-making process, not just on potential targets like Evans, but any big-money move this offseason.