Still drinking Jalen Ramsey’s Gatorade.
Lost in the chatter of Bucs fans obsessed with the salary cap and roster-building is the reality that the team’s highest-priority free agents for 2026 might be Mike Evans and Lavonte David.
It’s unknown whether these legends want their careers to continue beyond this season, but they certainly didn’t show signs of wear or disinterest this summer.
In fact, Evans probably had the best training camp of his 12-year career, including making Steelers cornerbacks look soft during a joint practice in Pittsburgh, per various reports and Joe’s in-person eyeballs. Evans also stayed healthy, which rare for him in August.
And then there’s David, who has practiced with his usual youthful energy.
Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht spoke about his greats and their future this week on [WDAE radio](http://620wdae.com).
“Of course we would like to have Mike back; I can’t put words in his mouth, but he looks like he’s having a hell of a lot of fun right now,” Licht said. “Two legends and, you know, they don’t look like they’ve lost a step, which is crazy. Two guys who deserve to go out on their terms. We’ll see how it goes.”
Man, that’s a wild quote from Licht: “They don’t look like they’ve lost a step.” Joe would agree, but the challenge for Evans and David is durability, not August dominance.
Joe is not worried about either player performing, only staying healthy. As for next year, Joe hopes the Bucs prioritize Evans and David if they want another season — or two.