Before Tampa Bay Buccaneers star wide receiver Mike Evans agreed to a contract extension, a laundry list of teams reportedly had interest in signing him.
Mike Evans resigns with the Buccaneers on a two-year, $52 million deal, per @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/1Fjm0NQBd8
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) March 4, 2024
The Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams were reportedly among the teams who wished to acquire him.
Multiple teams had Mike Evans on their free agent WR board and were hoping to land him in free agency. Based on several team sources: Titans, Rams, Chiefs, Patriots, Giants, Panthers, Falcons, and Jaguars.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 4, 2024
Evans was one of the most productive players at his position in the NFL during the 2023 regular season. He suited up in all 17 of the Buccaneers’ regular-season contests and accumulated 1,255 receiving yards, a league-best 13 receiving touchdowns and 54 first downs receiving. The 30-year-old also averaged 4.6 receptions and 73.8 receiving yards per game in his 10th season in the NFL.
These numbers helped Evans earn the fifth Pro Bowl appearance of his NFL career.
The wide receiver helped lead the Buccaneers to a 9-8 regular-season record, which was good enough to clinch the NFC South division. Tampa Bay then ended up beating the Philadelphia Eagles in a playoff game, and Evans finished with 48 receiving yards on three receptions in a game the Buccaneers won by a final score of 32-9.
But Tampa Bay’s season came to an end versus the Detroit Lions on Jan. 21 despite a herculean performance from Evans, who racked up 147 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown on eight receptions. The game was tied heading into the fourth and final quarter before the Lions outscored the Buccaneers 14-6 the rest of the way.
The Patriots stand out as a team that would have benefitted from signing a player of Evans’ caliber. After all, New England was one of the worst teams in the NFL during the 2023 regular season, evidenced by its 4-13 record, which was the worst in the AFC East.
The New York Giants and Carolina Panthers were also two of the worst teams in the league, as the former won six games in the regular season and the latter just two.
Buccaneers fans should be thrilled that the team has inked one of the top wide receivers in the league to a contract extension.
