Mike Evans‘ decorated Buccaneers tenure got here to an end last week when he agreed to affix the 49ers. His departure was not the results of Tampa Bay losing a bidding war, though.
During his first public comments since losing Evans, general manager Jason Licht spoke in regards to the negotiating process on this case. He said (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times) the Buccaneers made a “significantly higher” offer than the one Evans ultimately took with San Francisco. He noted that was applicable to Tampa Bay’s “first offer,” meaning further negotiations were something Licht and Co. were willing to pursue.
As a substitute, Evans had his 49ers agreement in place shortly after the legal tampering window opened. The six-time Pro Bowler took a three-year, $42.5MM deal to go to the Bay Area. In practice, though, his contract is for one 12 months and $14.3MM with team options to follow. It’s actually not difficult to assume the Buccaneers managing to submit a more competitive bid, especially within the case of a short-term offer.
Evans noted funds weren’t the important think about his decision to depart. The 33-year-old might be counted on to handle a key role in San Francisco, something which can not have been as much of an assurance with Tampa Bay. The Bucs re-signed Chris Godwin last offseason, a move which was followed by the draft additions of Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson. Those three, together with Jalen McMillan, will form the majority of the team’s WR room for 2026.
“[Evans] means all the pieces to me,” Licht said (via Stroud). “But he means all the pieces to your entire organization. Obviously, he’s one of the best offensive player we’ve ever had and a good higher person than he’s a player. So, it’s all the time tough… It became pretty clear that him and his family were just ready, like he said publicly, for one more chapter.”
Because the Bucs move on without Evans for the primary time since his arrival in 2014, they are going to try to avoid the late-season struggles which kept them out of the playoffs. Tampa Bay went 2-7 after the bye in 2025, something Licht and Evans spoke about leading as much as free agency. Each parties will look to enjoy a stronger showing down the stretch after going their separate ways.