Mike Evans has been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a decade. Just this week, the star received a 52 million dollar extension to stay in Tampa for two more seasons.
While Evans enjoys his payday, a recently signed Buccaneer is up for a new deal of his own, one that Evans views as “elite.”
Mike Evans Said This about Baker Mayfield
When pressed about if he had checked in with his quarterback’s extension talks, Evans, via team transcripts, would offer the following:
“Me and Baker, we played one season together and I feel like we can build on what we did last year. Hopefully we get him back – he’s a hell of a player. I appreciate [him]. They’re going to handle their process and I trust [general manager] Jason [Licht] and the front office no matter what happens.”
For someone who had played with Tom Brady for three seasons, and won a ring with the NFL legend, the high praises Evans has offered to Mayfield alone should incentivize Tampa’s front office to seek to retain their QB and build with him going forward.
Baker Mayfield, the former #1 overall pick to Cleveland in 2018, seeks his first long-term extension in a career
Baker Mayfield Has Endured Adversity
The former #1 overall pick has found adversity in most stages of his football-playing career. Drafted into the Cleveland Browns, coming off of the league’s second ever 0-16 campaign, Mayfield found solid success in his rookie campaign, finishing 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting, losing out only to Saquon Barkley. By 2020, Mayfield found his first taste of true NFL success, breaking Cleveland’s 18-year long wait to return to the postseason.
However, in 2021, Mayfield and Cleveland would experience a falling-out. The following offseason saw Cleveland trade for controversial figure Deshaun Watson, and Mayfield was out of a job. The Carolina Panthers would soon trade for him. Mayfield would not even make it to the end of his first year in Carolina, and his career sat on the rocks until the Los Angeles Rams took a chance with him.
Mayfield saw out 2022 with the Rams, then was released once again. He would sign with the Bucs that offseason, joining Mike Evans and the Bucs in Tampa.
Baker Mayfield helped Mike Evans Tremendously in 2023
Drafted to Tampa in a legendary Wide Receiver class, Mike Evans has long justified the top-10 selection he was in 2014’s NFL Draft. In his decade of service for Tampa, the Texas A&M product has racked up over 1000 receiving yards in all of his seasons to date.
2023 saw Mike Evans enjoy a career year, especially in having caught 13 of Baker Mayfield’s 28 touchdown passes. Tampa returned to the postseason with their fourth consecutive NFC South crown, and added on a playoff victory, before the Detroit Lions ended their season in the Divisional Round.
Will Tampa Retain Baker Mayfield?
Mike Evans would love to remain with Baker Mayfield going forward. Reports suggest Mayfield’s incoming contract may be “huge”, and the interest exists from both sides. The NFL is, ultimately, a business, so retaining Evans while finding a team-friendly way to keep Mayfield in town especially without a franchise tag, will be difficult.