The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a few major decisions to make regarding the future of their franchise.
Monday wouldn’t be considered an important date on most NFL calendars, but One Buccaneer Place has had Feb. 19 circled for some time.
The Buccaneers could save around $11 million against the 2024 salary cap if they can somehow agree to contract extensions with quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. by Monday afternoon.
Here’s why: Each of those key players have void years in their contracts to help with previous cap situations. While all are, in reality, pending free agents, their future fake years automatically void Feb. 19. That means that money that was pushed out into future years would come due against the 2024 salary cap. But if deals can be reached before Monday afternoon, that money can be saved against this upcoming season’s salary cap and pushed out into future years.
CBS Sports reported last week it is improbable that all three would get deals done with the Bucs in the coming days. Winfield Jr. appears destined for the franchise tag at around $18.2 million next month unless the two sides can reach an agreement on a long-term contract that would pay the first-team All-Pro safety top-of-the-market money. The Winfield savings on a pre-Monday deal would be less than $1.2 million against the cap, so it’s not a huge deal for the Bucs.
Mike Evans And Tampa Bay Buccaneers Aren’t Close To Reaching Contract Extension
Evans is the big-ticket item who could save Tampa Bay some actual money against the cap. By re-signing Evans by Monday afternoon, the Buccaneers would save $7.387 million against the 2024 salary cap.
Before the start of the season, the Buccaneers decided against extending Evans as he went into the final year of his contract. He went on to record his 10th consecutive 1,000-yard season while getting his second second-team All Pro nod. Evans owns every meaningful receiving record in Buccaneers history, and many consider him to be a future Hall of Famer.
On Monday morning, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported the Bucs and Evans remain far apart when it comes to a potential contract extension and he expects the big-bodied WR to test
“The #Buccaneers had a soft deadline today to get an extension done with Pro Bowl WR Mike Evans, but both sides remain far apart, sources say. Tampa Bay is set to take on $7.4M in 2024 dead money by not getting a deal done today. Talks will continue, but my understanding is Evans is trending toward becoming a free agent, barring an unexpected change in discussions”
The #Buccaneers had a soft deadline today to get an extension done with Pro Bowl WR Mike Evans, but both sides remain far apart, sources say. Tampa Bay is set to take on $7.4M in 2024 dead money by not getting a deal done today. @BleacherReport
Talks will continue, but my… pic.twitter.com/fNJJFuRceH
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 19, 2024
Evans signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he goes into next season in his age-31 campaign. Very rarely do wide receivers of his vintage get major money on a third contract, but he’s going to break the mold.
Evans’ value has to be above Chris Godwin’s $20 million per year in average annual value. And there are very few comparisons for Evans, who’s still playing at an All-Pro level at age 30. DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr.’s deals from last year aren’t apples to apples for Evans.
The closest comparison may be Cooper Kupp’s three-year, $80 million deal after his Super Bowl MVP year. Kupp signed it entering his age 29 season after a year in which he led the league in receiving yards with 1,947. Evans will be 31 this upcoming year and, while coming off a solid year, didn’t put up Kupp 2021 numbers.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are likely to still try to work out a contract extension with their All-Pro WR, but there will be plenty of competition for Evans if he hits the open market. Teams like the Chiefs, Jets and Panthers are all expected to be in the market for a receiver. A player who consistently racks up 1,000 yards and would serve as a quality veteran presence in a locker room would be attractive to just about any team out there.