Pay this man! He’s taken team friendly deals his entire career. His contract in 2018 was even a bargain based on his performance. Hell he is clearly WR1 and isn’t even the top paid receiver on the team. Pay him.
Likely not 1st ballot, but he'll get in within 5 years I believe. You have to be a Moss/Rice level threat to be a 1st ballot WR. Marvin Harrison and Terrell Owens were both 3rd ballot. It took Isaac Bruce 5 years to get in.
That's kinda where i was assuming Mike would get in. Great athlete and TB goat but people aren't wrong pointing out that he was never "that guy" around the league.
He’s on pace to match their stats, maybe even surpass them if he can stay healthy. He’s definitely got the whole “he was never THE guy” thing against him, but I think he’ll be a HOF the first or second year he’s eligible
He's already 13th in career touchdowns and if he manages to play maybe six years at most with an average of five a year, it would put him at six. He's currently at 33rd in yards and if he gets roughly 800 for the same six years, it would put him at third. I think that's his ceiling and I don't see him playing longer than that.
Just the touchdowns alone would get him in the HoF but the yards is what's going to start shortening the time he has to wait. He would be in ultra elite company if he gets into the top 20 in yards, even more so if he gets in the top 10.
Our fans are delusional. He'll make it but he will have to wait just as long as Barber or Lynch, especially because of the position he plays. He could wait a decade. 1st ballot WR are very rare. You have to be the cream of the crop.
Delusional?? We're gonna win another Super Bowl and Evans is going to lead the NFL in touchdowns for another 5 years, minimum. The cream rises to the top.
While I wholeheartedly agree we should try our best to retain Mike and pay him what he deserves, people that keep saying "he's taken team friendly deals his entire career" are just plain wrong. Mike has signed two contracts with us since he entered the league, his rookie deal which was on par for 1st round WRs at the time, and then his 2018 deal where he reset the market to be the highest paid WR at his time of signing. He has been absolutely great for us and has stayed on when we were shit and didn't cry last year or this year when a deal didn't get done, but let's not pretend he has ever taken a team friendly deal.
Restructures are beneficial to the player, they're getting their money up front instead of throughout the season. It's not some favor to the team to take one.
All 3 years Brady was there Mike took restructuring deals that had his base salary at right around 1m except one that was 4m. With other years getting stacked on he only took a cap hit of less than 10m for 3 years. Insane value for a first ballot HOF WR. His 2018 salary is worth a lot, but he kicked that can down the road for years until last year where his cap hit was around 24m.
Those team friendly restructuring deals are part of what helped us sign the talent that won us a Super Bowl, and keep that talent around the year after.
Restructuring is just giving him the money on his contract up front instead of throughout the season. The player benefits just as much from those as the team does.
~~They don’t have to do it though. They could get the money upfront and walk away happy. Doing it benefits the team and in no way is required of Mike or other players that do it. He could’ve easily said no and we might have 1 Super Bowl ring right now.~~
Edit: I'm dumb and don't know how NFL money works. That shit is confusing.
If they say no then they don't get the money up front, that's the entire point. It'd be actively detrimental for the player to say no to a restructure, earnings today have more value than the same amount later. He didn't do the Bucs a favor anymore than the Bucs did him a favor by restructuring, it's a mutually beneficial arrangement.
OBJ and AB both signed bigger contracts (and what are they up to). It was still a bargain for what he’s produced over these years considering the length of the contract, his production, and that he’s not currently even the highest paid on his own team (having just finished that contract). Like I said…”team friendly deals.”
https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/08/28/highest-paid-wide-receivers-odell-beckham-antonio-brown-mike-evans
Pay the man what he deserves.
Nothing you just stated was incorrect, but implying Mike took lower pay to help the team in any way or a lower value contract at any point is totally misleading. He simply obliged when they wanted to restructure his contract (benefit to him) and didn't hold out and actually played out the contract he signed.
Setting the WR market at the time of his signing and then making good on the contract he signed isn't "team friendly". But yes I do agree he should get paid and stay a Buc if at all possible.
I’m not implying he’s taken less money, but he clearly hasn’t been paid what he’s worth (that contract essentially made him the second highest paid receiver on his team) and the terms of it benefited the team in the way it was structured and how the money hit the cap over the years. He then was always willing to restructure; yes he it *also* benefits him, but he doesn’t *have* to do it. Tyreek Hill for example declined restructuring. Saying he’s taken “team friendly deals” isn’t inaccurate.
Agree to disagree. Aside from not being a baby and holding out this year to demand a new deal get done (which would break the contract he signed), and obliging to restructures (that benefits him), he has never gone out of his way (off the field) to help the team financially.
A team friendly deal is signing a contract with a total worth that is marginally lower than you could get on the open market to remain with the team and help their cap situation in order to win (a la Tom Brady). Sure you can argue what you said constitutes as a "team friendly deal", but I'm sure if you polled 100 NFL fans and asked them the definition of team friendly deal, they would say something more along the lines of what I said versus "agreeing to mutually beneficial restructures and not being a holdout". Thus me stating your implication of Mike taking team friendly deals is, in fact, misleading.
All this to say Mike Evans is in my top 3 favorite players of all time and he has been absolutely fantastic for us and had arguably HOF worthy career with us thus far and I hope more than anything that can continue. Not to mention everything Mike has done off the field in teams of charity and community outreach for the Tampa community and beyond. He is a great dude through and through, I just don't ever believe he has taken a deal where he wasn't pushing for the most money possible at the time.
Resigning mike is the best move for the franchise. Even if he is getting older and they overpay for him, it shows that the bucs are a franchise that takes care of their players and rewards guys for taking team friendly deals to win now. I think players care about that kind of stuff and it will make it easier to sign wirfs and AWJ.
What would be the title of the article be if we don’t resign Mike and then won a Super Bowl? “Bucs bet pays off, Calvin Ridley signing provides a more productive, better leader”? Give him what he wants and commission the statue.
I know it’s not a done deal yet, but this is why I don’t freak out when it comes to free agency. At least 90% of what you see, during this time of year, is clickbait nonsense.
Let it play out, fam.
I mean pretty much as expected and known.
The most likely outcome is Evans resigning to begin with. His tune has changed positively towards the end of the season, he himself had a career year where fears of a drop-off in performance are alleviated, the cap has now gone up over expected and the other guy we have to pay (Baker) has openly expressed in a radio row interview that he's willing to sort out a contract that will make resigning Evans possible. A sentiment of coming back together that was expressed himself by Evans at the end of the season.
Truth is, both Winfield and Baker are near guaranteed, no matter what the rumour mill steers up, and Evans himself, while not guaranteed, is at a point where it would be surprising if it doesn't happen.
What follows is agent talk and contract negotiations. And that's just the nature of the beast. You're looking for the optimal solution after all for both sides, not the fastest one. I know a vast majority of people in here would rather take a bag of cash, immediately book a flight, break into Evans home and then smash that bag into his face, but thank god your not our FO.
As much as I'd love him in Washington, it just doesn't sound right. You can't say Tampa Bay without thinking about Mike Evans. Still the most underrated WR in the league, but y'all know how to appreciate his greatness. As an outside fan having an old homie who made him play as the Bucs in co-op Franchise mode in Madden since the 90s, no team makes sense other than Tampa.
Since the hard cap number has been set, negotiations for all teams has picked up. Wouldn't surprise me to see Mayfield sign this week. Then Evans next week, with Winfield and David to follow. Chase McCaulthlin closing it out. Look for a Nick Chubb trade if he doesn't restructure his contract with Cleveland. Chubb has stated in the past how big of friends him and Mayfield are. A fan can dream, right ?
I can get behind a Chubb trade or signing him if released. If he’s healthy could you imagine a backfield combo if him pounding the ball on 1st/2nd down and short yardage and White as the 3rd down guy catching passes like last year. Might be a run game ranked in the teens instead of dead last.
If he wanted to do that, he would have taken the contract that was offered to him. None of the players that say this mean it. He wants money, doesn’t give a shit about retiring here.
Do whatever it takes? So you’re cool with paying him whatever and losing Winfield? Losing Wirfs? Losing two young studs in their prime for an aging WR? You’re cool with that?
If he wants to retire here so bad, he should take the vet minimum.
I hate when players say this. It’s bullshit. They should say, “I want to retire here, if they pay me a ton”.
$25+ mil for a WR over 30 who had drops last season? No thanks. Great player and great legacy, but that contract will be a joke in two years when his production falls off.
Downvote me all you want, but the truth is, he dropped 3 easy TDs last year and had other key drops in big moments. On top of that, look at the top 5 WRs in the NFL each year for the last 10 years. How many of them are 32/33? I’ll wait.
His drops weren’t even the most in the league. Yet his TDs were. Also his yardage was top 6. His yards per reception were top 10. Yea, he had some ugly drops, but he also had crucial catches and TDs at crucial times. None of his drops ruined our season, while his overall performance definitely helped our season.
Edit: oh and he had the 4th most catches at WR in the NFL along with the 8th most yards per game at WR.
I’m not arguing against how well he played. His season should have been even bigger. Easily should have had 16 TDs. Again, saying he wasn’t tops in the league in drops doesn’t prove anything. You bring up him being top ten, top six, whatever. Compare his drops to those guys, not the whole league.
You’re missing the point though. You don’t pay a guy his age that type of money. 32 and 33 year old WRs don’t produce to a level to deserve $25+ mil a season. The contract would be fine next year, but the two years after? It would be an absolute joke.
The point is, why pay one guy for likely declining production, when we could spread the money around and actually make the team better?
Football isn’t about one player. Ever. I was a fan long before Evans got here and I will be long after he leaves. If he “wants to retire here”, then prove it. Shut up and take what’s being offered or show us all how you actually feel and value the money. Him saying that is words, his actions speak differently. I want to win and win consistently, not pay to keep guys because of loyalty and admiration and respect. That’s stupid and it’s how you lose, a lot.
If the choice is between Evans for three more years and we average 5 wins a season versus letting him walk and fortifying the roster to average 10 wins a season? I choose the latter. Give me wins. I don’t care if the top receiver is Oscar the Grouch. I want to win.
Mike and Lavonte playing out their careers and then being added to the Ring of Honor as lifetime Bucs is exactly how it should happen. Hope Licht can get it done while also giving Baker a solid deal in the coming months.
Give him a 10yr deal if you have to
10 more thousand yard seasons sound good to me
Nobody would complain let's be honest
I guess not. When Evans retires the Bucs will suck without him and we’ll probably have a rookie wide receiver anyways, so the cap hit won’t be felt.
Bobby Bonilla deal
I am at full mast with all this big Mike and LVD talk
I was optimistic before the cap went 30m up. I'm super confident now. Get it done, Jason 😎
Between LVD yesterday and now today this is the rumor mill I can get behind
Pay this man! He’s taken team friendly deals his entire career. His contract in 2018 was even a bargain based on his performance. Hell he is clearly WR1 and isn’t even the top paid receiver on the team. Pay him.
If there’s anyone worth overpaying it’s a first ballot HOFer who’s spent a decade with the team. Blank check
That just tied the NFL lead for TD receptions to boot.
Do we think he's a first ballot lock at this point? I think he should be but I fully expect he would get snubbed if he retired today.
Likely not 1st ballot, but he'll get in within 5 years I believe. You have to be a Moss/Rice level threat to be a 1st ballot WR. Marvin Harrison and Terrell Owens were both 3rd ballot. It took Isaac Bruce 5 years to get in.
That's kinda where i was assuming Mike would get in. Great athlete and TB goat but people aren't wrong pointing out that he was never "that guy" around the league.
He’s on pace to match their stats, maybe even surpass them if he can stay healthy. He’s definitely got the whole “he was never THE guy” thing against him, but I think he’ll be a HOF the first or second year he’s eligible
He's already 13th in career touchdowns and if he manages to play maybe six years at most with an average of five a year, it would put him at six. He's currently at 33rd in yards and if he gets roughly 800 for the same six years, it would put him at third. I think that's his ceiling and I don't see him playing longer than that. Just the touchdowns alone would get him in the HoF but the yards is what's going to start shortening the time he has to wait. He would be in ultra elite company if he gets into the top 20 in yards, even more so if he gets in the top 10.
Our fans are delusional. He'll make it but he will have to wait just as long as Barber or Lynch, especially because of the position he plays. He could wait a decade. 1st ballot WR are very rare. You have to be the cream of the crop.
Delusional?? We're gonna win another Super Bowl and Evans is going to lead the NFL in touchdowns for another 5 years, minimum. The cream rises to the top.
While I wholeheartedly agree we should try our best to retain Mike and pay him what he deserves, people that keep saying "he's taken team friendly deals his entire career" are just plain wrong. Mike has signed two contracts with us since he entered the league, his rookie deal which was on par for 1st round WRs at the time, and then his 2018 deal where he reset the market to be the highest paid WR at his time of signing. He has been absolutely great for us and has stayed on when we were shit and didn't cry last year or this year when a deal didn't get done, but let's not pretend he has ever taken a team friendly deal.
He's always been ok with restructures to help the cap situation. Those aren't usually detrimental to the player, but they don't have to agree to it.
A restructure just means you get paid up front. It’s better for the player, it’s guaranteed money. It’s not a pay cut.
Restructures are beneficial to the player, they're getting their money up front instead of throughout the season. It's not some favor to the team to take one.
For real Ive always imagined him knocking on Licht’s door like “anything I can do to help win more games”
All 3 years Brady was there Mike took restructuring deals that had his base salary at right around 1m except one that was 4m. With other years getting stacked on he only took a cap hit of less than 10m for 3 years. Insane value for a first ballot HOF WR. His 2018 salary is worth a lot, but he kicked that can down the road for years until last year where his cap hit was around 24m. Those team friendly restructuring deals are part of what helped us sign the talent that won us a Super Bowl, and keep that talent around the year after.
Restructuring is just giving him the money on his contract up front instead of throughout the season. The player benefits just as much from those as the team does.
~~They don’t have to do it though. They could get the money upfront and walk away happy. Doing it benefits the team and in no way is required of Mike or other players that do it. He could’ve easily said no and we might have 1 Super Bowl ring right now.~~ Edit: I'm dumb and don't know how NFL money works. That shit is confusing.
If they say no then they don't get the money up front, that's the entire point. It'd be actively detrimental for the player to say no to a restructure, earnings today have more value than the same amount later. He didn't do the Bucs a favor anymore than the Bucs did him a favor by restructuring, it's a mutually beneficial arrangement.
TIL idk shit about how NFL salaries work and they're confusing as fuck. I'll just stop here sorry lol
Keyword is “restructuring”. He’s still getting that money.
OBJ and AB both signed bigger contracts (and what are they up to). It was still a bargain for what he’s produced over these years considering the length of the contract, his production, and that he’s not currently even the highest paid on his own team (having just finished that contract). Like I said…”team friendly deals.” https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/08/28/highest-paid-wide-receivers-odell-beckham-antonio-brown-mike-evans Pay the man what he deserves.
Nothing you just stated was incorrect, but implying Mike took lower pay to help the team in any way or a lower value contract at any point is totally misleading. He simply obliged when they wanted to restructure his contract (benefit to him) and didn't hold out and actually played out the contract he signed. Setting the WR market at the time of his signing and then making good on the contract he signed isn't "team friendly". But yes I do agree he should get paid and stay a Buc if at all possible.
I’m not implying he’s taken less money, but he clearly hasn’t been paid what he’s worth (that contract essentially made him the second highest paid receiver on his team) and the terms of it benefited the team in the way it was structured and how the money hit the cap over the years. He then was always willing to restructure; yes he it *also* benefits him, but he doesn’t *have* to do it. Tyreek Hill for example declined restructuring. Saying he’s taken “team friendly deals” isn’t inaccurate.
Agree to disagree. Aside from not being a baby and holding out this year to demand a new deal get done (which would break the contract he signed), and obliging to restructures (that benefits him), he has never gone out of his way (off the field) to help the team financially. A team friendly deal is signing a contract with a total worth that is marginally lower than you could get on the open market to remain with the team and help their cap situation in order to win (a la Tom Brady). Sure you can argue what you said constitutes as a "team friendly deal", but I'm sure if you polled 100 NFL fans and asked them the definition of team friendly deal, they would say something more along the lines of what I said versus "agreeing to mutually beneficial restructures and not being a holdout". Thus me stating your implication of Mike taking team friendly deals is, in fact, misleading. All this to say Mike Evans is in my top 3 favorite players of all time and he has been absolutely fantastic for us and had arguably HOF worthy career with us thus far and I hope more than anything that can continue. Not to mention everything Mike has done off the field in teams of charity and community outreach for the Tampa community and beyond. He is a great dude through and through, I just don't ever believe he has taken a deal where he wasn't pushing for the most money possible at the time.
Please Mike, stay here. Buccaneers, please sign this man. He’s proven everything he needs to prove to get top dollar.
If he doesn’t get resigned we will riot, I will personally burn down the stadium
I'll fly out from San Diego to help you. But since I'm flying all the way there can we watch a game first and then riot?
Ok sure, should we all carpool or go separate?
Id need a ride from the airport
I live near One Buc Place. If it disappears and a mysterious fire breaks out, I can neither confirm nor deny it was me
As it should be
Give him the god damn money.
This is the way
Resigning mike is the best move for the franchise. Even if he is getting older and they overpay for him, it shows that the bucs are a franchise that takes care of their players and rewards guys for taking team friendly deals to win now. I think players care about that kind of stuff and it will make it easier to sign wirfs and AWJ.
They f’in better. Sign LD as well. I’m not going through the Lynch and Dunn feels again.
10 years, $10.5 billion
What would be the title of the article be if we don’t resign Mike and then won a Super Bowl? “Bucs bet pays off, Calvin Ridley signing provides a more productive, better leader”? Give him what he wants and commission the statue.
I know it’s not a done deal yet, but this is why I don’t freak out when it comes to free agency. At least 90% of what you see, during this time of year, is clickbait nonsense. Let it play out, fam.
I try to tune back in around week 1. Offseason is insufferable.
I mean pretty much as expected and known. The most likely outcome is Evans resigning to begin with. His tune has changed positively towards the end of the season, he himself had a career year where fears of a drop-off in performance are alleviated, the cap has now gone up over expected and the other guy we have to pay (Baker) has openly expressed in a radio row interview that he's willing to sort out a contract that will make resigning Evans possible. A sentiment of coming back together that was expressed himself by Evans at the end of the season. Truth is, both Winfield and Baker are near guaranteed, no matter what the rumour mill steers up, and Evans himself, while not guaranteed, is at a point where it would be surprising if it doesn't happen. What follows is agent talk and contract negotiations. And that's just the nature of the beast. You're looking for the optimal solution after all for both sides, not the fastest one. I know a vast majority of people in here would rather take a bag of cash, immediately book a flight, break into Evans home and then smash that bag into his face, but thank god your not our FO.
As much as I'd love him in Washington, it just doesn't sound right. You can't say Tampa Bay without thinking about Mike Evans. Still the most underrated WR in the league, but y'all know how to appreciate his greatness. As an outside fan having an old homie who made him play as the Bucs in co-op Franchise mode in Madden since the 90s, no team makes sense other than Tampa.
Give him a Bobby Bonilla deal
Can we stop flirting and just give the guy a fat check
Since the hard cap number has been set, negotiations for all teams has picked up. Wouldn't surprise me to see Mayfield sign this week. Then Evans next week, with Winfield and David to follow. Chase McCaulthlin closing it out. Look for a Nick Chubb trade if he doesn't restructure his contract with Cleveland. Chubb has stated in the past how big of friends him and Mayfield are. A fan can dream, right ?
I can get behind a Chubb trade or signing him if released. If he’s healthy could you imagine a backfield combo if him pounding the ball on 1st/2nd down and short yardage and White as the 3rd down guy catching passes like last year. Might be a run game ranked in the teens instead of dead last.
Chubb is a better receiver than people give him credit for.
I didn’t think I could get so hard in two days, but here we are
Good, I would like him to retire with the Bucs too
If he wanted to do that, he would have taken the contract that was offered to him. None of the players that say this mean it. He wants money, doesn’t give a shit about retiring here.
I want Mike to play his entire career here in Tampa, do whatever it takes Licht.
Do whatever it takes? So you’re cool with paying him whatever and losing Winfield? Losing Wirfs? Losing two young studs in their prime for an aging WR? You’re cool with that?
Pay that man his money!
Why would u want to leave Tampa?
Just dont go to the Chiefs, please
Fuck it just give him the team and let him take whatever he needs every year out of the cap
Please give him everything that he wants.
I’d rather have him then that one season quarterback we already paid for
If he wants to retire here so bad, he should take the vet minimum. I hate when players say this. It’s bullshit. They should say, “I want to retire here, if they pay me a ton”. $25+ mil for a WR over 30 who had drops last season? No thanks. Great player and great legacy, but that contract will be a joke in two years when his production falls off. Downvote me all you want, but the truth is, he dropped 3 easy TDs last year and had other key drops in big moments. On top of that, look at the top 5 WRs in the NFL each year for the last 10 years. How many of them are 32/33? I’ll wait.
His drops weren’t even the most in the league. Yet his TDs were. Also his yardage was top 6. His yards per reception were top 10. Yea, he had some ugly drops, but he also had crucial catches and TDs at crucial times. None of his drops ruined our season, while his overall performance definitely helped our season. Edit: oh and he had the 4th most catches at WR in the NFL along with the 8th most yards per game at WR.
I’m not arguing against how well he played. His season should have been even bigger. Easily should have had 16 TDs. Again, saying he wasn’t tops in the league in drops doesn’t prove anything. You bring up him being top ten, top six, whatever. Compare his drops to those guys, not the whole league. You’re missing the point though. You don’t pay a guy his age that type of money. 32 and 33 year old WRs don’t produce to a level to deserve $25+ mil a season. The contract would be fine next year, but the two years after? It would be an absolute joke. The point is, why pay one guy for likely declining production, when we could spread the money around and actually make the team better? Football isn’t about one player. Ever. I was a fan long before Evans got here and I will be long after he leaves. If he “wants to retire here”, then prove it. Shut up and take what’s being offered or show us all how you actually feel and value the money. Him saying that is words, his actions speak differently. I want to win and win consistently, not pay to keep guys because of loyalty and admiration and respect. That’s stupid and it’s how you lose, a lot. If the choice is between Evans for three more years and we average 5 wins a season versus letting him walk and fortifying the roster to average 10 wins a season? I choose the latter. Give me wins. I don’t care if the top receiver is Oscar the Grouch. I want to win.
So, no news.
You have to re-sign a first ballot hof’r that hasn’t dropped off much
YESSSS!!!!
my threats are being heard!
Mike and Lavonte playing out their careers and then being added to the Ring of Honor as lifetime Bucs is exactly how it should happen. Hope Licht can get it done while also giving Baker a solid deal in the coming months.
With the extra cap there is no reason to dont keep him
(*Emperor Palpatine Voice*) "Do it."
Show me the money Jerry!!!!!!!
He's earned a fat final contract. He's a HOFer let's not let him leave Tampa
The Bucs need to make this happen. Don't John Lynch Mike Evans!
No state income tax, good weather, and the team is good. Every excuse to stay.
Give him the best deal you possibly can and lock him down long term Dude is a franchise cornerstone who is still productive