Five-time Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans has agreed to a two-year, $52 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that includes $35 million guaranteed, his agent Derrick Gilmore told ESPN. Ta.
Evans, who was set to become a free agent next week, has a real chance to start and finish his career as a “back for life” in Tampa.
Gilmore said the contract averages $26 million a season, making it the third-largest contract for such an aging wide receiver.
Bringing back Evans would not only help the Buccaneers' offense, but also serve as another catalyst for re-signing free agent quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield said he hopes to continue playing the standout wideout.
“He's an unprecedented player. We want him to be a lifelong running back,” general manager Jason Richt said at the NFL combine last week.
Evans was expected to be one of the top, if not the top, wide receiver available in free agency. The Kansas City Chiefs and others were expected to be interested.
Other top free agent wide receivers include Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman, Calvin Ridley, Odell Beckham Jr. and Michael Thomas.
The Bucs and Evans were unable to reach a deal before the start of the 2023 regular season, and negotiations continued until the end of the season, failing to meet the September 9 deadline.
The 30-year-old Evans overcame the disappointment and had the best performance of his career, tying for the league lead in touchdowns with 13 and topping the leaderboard in touchdowns for the first time.
He reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark in 10 consecutive seasons. This was an NFL record at the start of a career, and just shy of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's all-time record.
Recorded multiple touchdown performances against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12, against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, against the Chicago Bears in Week 2, against the Tennessee Titans in Week 10, and in Week 13. He recorded over 100 yards in a game against the Carolina Panthers.
The Bucks selected Evans seventh overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, making him Richt's first draft pick as a general manager. Since then, Evans has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023) and has become one of the NFL's leading receivers.
The Mike Evans Family Foundation of Evans, a three-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, and his wife Ashli ​​has provided more than $470,000 in scholarships to students in Florida and Texas, as well as family support. It also supports victims of domestic violence. In 2023, Evans wrote a children's book called “Mike Evans' Middle School Rules,'' which focused on the loss of his father, Mickey, and the adversity Evans faced growing up in Galveston after Hurricane Ike.
ESPN's Jenna Lane contributed to this report.