Priority No. 1 for the Buffalo Bills this offseason is to upgrade their wide receiver room. Whether they opt to do so in the NFL Draft, in free agency, or via trade, remains to be seen.
But, a prominent NFL analyst has called for the Bills to make a big move on the free agent market.
Jason McCourty, a veteran of the New England Patriots, called for the Bills to sign veteran wide receiver Mike Evans, who is an unrestricted free agent.
“They said they still believe in Keon Coleman,” McCourty said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “When they drafted Keon Coleman, you hoped that he could become a Mike Evans-type of receiver. Somebody that wins on the contested catches. Somebody on third down and in red zone [who] Josh Allen can trust to get the ball to. Mike Evans is still doing that at an elite level.”
McCourty Encourages Bills to Sign Mike Evans
Mike Evans may be aging, but he is still about as sturdy of a receiver as the Bills will find in their search for a wide receiver. Though Evans missed nine games this past season, it was the first time in his career he’d missed extended time due to injury. Before this season, he had an incredible 11-year stretch of 1,000 yard seasons.
And to add to what he would bring on the field, he is also a Super Bowl champion. His experience in the playoffs and tenure in the league makes him a perfect candidate for a Buffalo team that hasn’t been able to clear the playoff hump in the Josh Allen era.
“You bring a veteran, a professional on and off the field to come over to this team in a situation where they want to win now,” McCourty said. “Mike Evans is also a Super Bowl champion. He brings that to the locker room as well.”
The Bills have some great red zone targets already with their running back James Cook and tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, but Evans would make their red zone offense one of the best in the league.
Evans’ Market Value; Can Buffalo Afford Him?
Like many teams this time of year, Buffalo is currently in the negative as far as cap space goes, but contracts can be reworked and they’ll surely cut some players to free up space.
Evans’ market value according to Spotrac is 13.3 million in AAV. This is a relatively cheap deal for as sturdy a receiver as Evans; compared to players like Cooper Kupp and Stefon Diggs who are similar in age and talent, his $13.3 million would be a bargain.
And Buffalo may even be able to convince him to come for less. With a ready to win roster and Tampa Bay looking like it’s heading into a decline, Evans will probably just be looking for a place where he can win another Super Bowl.
And he’s already made $155 million in his career; I think he’d be willing to accept less money for an opportunity to make an impact on a winning team.
Matt Skillings Matt Skillings is a Boston based sports journalist and a graduate of UMass Amherst, where he majored in journalism and communication. Matt covered the UMass men’s ice hockey team for three years for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. He was also a media intern for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League for two summers. Matt has additional bylines with the New England Hockey Journal, the Boston Globe and MassLive. More about Matt Skillings
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