By Jordan Long
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to open the season on Sunday when they head to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. Tampa Bay’s best wide receiver, Mike Evans, is hoping for a new contract as he is playing in the final year of his current agreement.
Evans enters his 10th season all with Tampa Bay. He has been one of Tampa Bay’s most consistent receivers. Evans managed to surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark every season. His top year came in 2018 when he totaled 1,524 yards. Overall Evans has caught 683 passes for 10,425 yards and added 81 touchdowns in his time with Tampa Bay.
Evans was anticipating a new deal before the season kicks off for Tampa Bay. Talks are ongoing but his agent Deryk Gilmore gave Tampa Bay a deadline of Saturday to reach a new deal. Evans wants this contract done so he can focus on the season and his future as well.
According to ESPN.com, Evans said, “Obviously we’ve been working with them for over a year now, trying to get something done. Any player in my position would want to be secure.”
Evans knows he would like to play in Tampa Bay for many years to come. All he wants is the security beyond this year. Gilmore is putting the pressure on Tampa Bay so a new deal is done. It doesn’t seem like a new agreement will come before Saturday but as long as talks keep going that is a great step.
The truth is, his agent didn’t need to set a deadline of this Saturday. The front office of Tampa Bay understands that Evans’ contract is going to expire on March 13th. Tampa Bay could let him play out the year. It is possible before Evans’ deal expires, they could agree to an extension. The worst case is they slap on the franchise tag, giving them even more time. Otherwise, teams would want Evans because he improves any team’s wide receiver core. There are options assuming Tampa Bay doesn’t get a new deal in place before Saturday.
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