Mike Evans addresses Tom Brady retirement, future quarterback
Following the retirement of Tom Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a hole to fill at quarterback. As one of the biggest beneficiaries of the past two seasons, and one of the most influential in seasons to come, Mike Evans provided his thoughts on the past and future.
During a Super Bowl week interview, Mike Evans spoke about Tom Brady, the Buccaneers and the future at the quarterback position.
“It’s been an unbelievable last two seasons,” Evans told NFL.com. “I’d never imagined I had the opportunity to play with Tom Brady, the greatest athlete in sports history. He instilled a lot of things in this team, and we’re going to implement that moving forward. Obviously, it’s the biggest shoes to fill, but we’ve got to step up.”
Evans played 23 regular season games with Brady over two seasons, also winning the 2021 Super Bowl and making another playoff appearance this year. He had 144 receptions for 2,041 yards and 27 touchdowns over that span, making the Pro Bowl once.
“We’ve got to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Evans said. “We’ll figure out the quarterback when we do. Hopefully, we find that out soon, so I can get in some work with him. But like I said (Brady), instilled things in us, work ethic, making sure we’re on top of our game, week in and week out. Making sure bodies are healthy, making sure they can feel as good as they feel. He definitely taught us that these last two years, and we’ve just got to keep it going.”
Among the candidates to replace Brady, former Florida star Kyle Trask stands out as an in-house option. He was selected by the Buccaneers in the 2021 NFL Draft as an understudy for the future Hall of Famer.
Mike Evans on Buccaneers
Mike Evans does not believe that the loss of Tom Brady will bring the team’s success to a halt, citing the overall strength of the roster. Despite several pending free agents, he believes the team can recoup much of its talent.
“We’ve still got a lot of core guys, young guys coming back next year,” Evans said. “Hopefully, we can get most of our free agents back. I like our chances. We’re a tough team. We’ve just got to see who the quarterback is.”
Beyond Kyle Trask, there is a generally underwhelming crop of quarterbacks in the draft and several disgruntled NFL stars who could come into play for the Buccaneers.
“I don’t know where we are going to go, but whoever it is, I’ll be ready,” Evans said.