Mike Evans To Make Tough Decision About Future
A report came out on Monday morning that a soft deadline was hit for Mike Evans and his future with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to Jordan Schultz, no extension was done, and both sides remain far apart. Tampa will take on dead money for the 2024 season. It is most likely that Mike Evans will become a free agent.
Cash for Mike Evans
A few decisions will go into where Mike Evans will end up for the 2024 season. One of those pieces of information might be the cap space. A few teams may want to add the wide receiver with their available cap space.
The team with the most cap space for 2024 is the Washington Commanders. They have roughly $83 million available to spend. They are set to draft 2nd overall for 2024, and most analysts are projecting that one of the top 3 quarterbacks will be selected. The Commanders already have the speedy Terry McLaurin, so adding Mike Evans’ pedigree might pair perfectly.
Tennessee is next on the list, but it seems unlikely with the Deandre Hopkins contract on the payroll. Chicago would be next with over $70 million in cap space. Some may wonder if he would go there with DJ Moore on the roster, but their style of play complements each other nicely. It depends on whether Mike wants to join in the chaos of “Fields vs. Caleb” all offseason long.
Houston or Indianapolis would end the list of likely teams for Mike Evans to go based on cap space—money to spend. Very young, promising Quarterbacks rostered. A staff member with a nucleus would be around for a while. What is not to like?
Mike Evans Coach Connections
Another possibility is that Mike Evans could head to an area where he knows the coaching staff. He might take the comfort of a play caller over some of the other options.
The first coach that comes to mind is one he played for last season, Dave Canales. Mike’s old Offensive Coordinator is now the head coach for the Carolina Panthers. Evans may want to join in the growth of Bryce Young. Carolina has roughly $31 million in cap space, so there is a chance. Carolina has a lot of holes to fill, so adding Mike Evans might not be a priority.
A long shot would be Todd Monken and the Baltimore Ravens. Todd was the Wide Receivers coach back in 2016-2017. Some may think, why add Mike Evans to the Baltimore roster? But others may think, why not? He would add an outside deep threat to an already sturdily roster.
Other Outside Options
A team that keeps popping up on any searches for “Mike Evans Destinations” is the Jacksonville Jaguars. The talk of town is whether or not Jacksonville will decide to bring back Calvin Ridley. If Jacksonville decides to extend Ridley, they must fork over another draft pick from Atlanta from the initial trade.
Many options lie ahead for the talented veteran Mike Evans. His decision may affect the landscape of the NFL for the next couple of years. We shall see what team he decides to try to extend his impressive NFL career.
These projected options are based on his not resigning from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Evans could always decide to stay in Tampa Bay.
Read the initial report: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: NFL Insider Reveals Significant Update About Potential Mike Evans Contract Extension.
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