Buccaneers GM Jason Licht hopes Mike Evans will retire with Tampa Bay
Mike Evans might already be solidified as the best receiver in the history of Tampa Bay’s franchise. That’s why, with the former Top-10 pick entering year ten with the team, GM Jason Licht wants to find a way to make him a Buccaneer for life.
Licht recently spoke about Evans’ overall career with Dan Pompei for an article at The Athletic. In doing so, he shared that he hopes to find a way to keep him in Tampa Bay for good so that he’ll only have ever played for the Bucs upon his eventual retirement.
“I can’t see Mike playing anywhere else,” said Licht. “I hope and think we can figure something out so he can retire a Buc. We want Mike to be here long term.”
Evans’ future is a bit up in the air at the moment. For one, he has been through several iterations of Tampa Bay’s team during his near-decade with the franchise. With that in mind, the dropoff from a Super Bowl win and title contention to what many expect them to be moving forward might not be appealing to the Pro Bowl receiver.
For two, his contract is also a question mark heading into the season. Evans is entering the final year of his deal and is set to make well below the market value for a receiver of his caliber at $13 million. The issue now is whether Licht and Tampa Bay will want to give him that significant of a raise with him set to turn 30 in a few days and with over 130 games under his belt.
Still, at least for this season, Licht knows Tampa Bay needs him. That’s especially true since, with this year’s quarterback still undecided, their eventual starter will have to have a top-notch target like Evans.
“I expect him to get a lot of targets. His production could go up in terms of volume,” Licht said. “I can tell these quarterbacks both really like Mike a lot.”
Evans is by far Tampa Bay’s all-time leader in targets, catches, receiving yards, receiving yards per game, and reception touchdowns. He’ll be in the Buccaneers’s Ring of Honor at some point but, for now, Licht’s focus is on somehow locking him up for the rest of his days in the NFL.
Evans hopes to set record for consecutive 1,000-yard seasons
Mike Evans has been one of the NFL’s most productive receivers over his nine-year career with the Buccaneers. However, he has his eyes set on history based on what he wants to reach over the next few seasons.
With nine-straight 1,000-yard seasons, Evans is two seasons from tying Jerry Rice’s record for consecutive 1,000-yard seasons at 11. In a recent interview at his youth football campaign, he told Ari Alexander of KPRC2 that it’s hard to ignore considering it’s within reach. He also discussed how much it would mean to have his name up there with the Hall of Famer.
“I think about it. It’s right there so I’m going to definitely try to get that,” Evans said. “I’m already one of one right now. I hope I can pass the great Jerry Rice and his record.”
“Obviously nobody will pass his records — probably like ever total,” said Evans. “But that 1,000-yard streak record would be cool to have.”