Jan. 30, 2026, 12:05 p.m. ET

The Buccaneers are mostly set at wide receiver heading into 2026. There is only big question: will they re-sign Mike Evans? Better yet, can they re-sign Mike Evans?

Tampa Bay’s wide receiver corps has long revolved around Evans. The future Hall of Famer is a rare blend of supreme talent and reliability, evident in his 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. That streak ended in 2025 after a series of injuries limited him to just eight games, the fewest he has played in a season in the NFL.

Evans may be nearing the end of his career, but he still has the ability to take a top off the defense and on occasion, light one up. In his first game back after breaking his clavicle in Week 7, Evans put up 132 yards on six catches against Atlanta.

Evans wasn’t perfect either. Per PFF, he recorded just 1.1 yards per route run, the lowest of his career, and a 48% contested catch rate, second-lowest of his career. This decline is hard to attribute to any one thing. The offense overall underperformed, and Evans has never played so few games.

At 32 years-old and coming off his worst season in the NFL, Evans is not likely to command a top-of-the-market salary. Spotrac’s average annual valuation for Evans comes to $13.3 million. If the Bucs were to re-sign him for that amount, Evans would be taking a near $10 million pay cut while adding just $4.6 million to their salary cap. It would be an expensive addition, but it could help return Tampa Bay’s offense to its former glory.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

The biggest potential roadblock to re-signing Evans is a team that is much needier at wide receiver swooping in to hand him a bigger bag of cash to squeeze the remaining football he has left in him. Teams like the Jets, Raiders, and Titans are desperate for receiver talent. The prospect of leaving Tampa and playing for rebuilding offenses may be too much for Evans, but money can right a lot of wrongs.

Retirement is also on the table for the 32-year-old receiver. His statements have been far from definitive, even if he has hinted at it as a possibility. It is difficult to imagine Evans would want to retire after his least productive season, when it is clear he is still capable of high-level play.

Even without Evans, the Bucs should have a formidable wide receiver corps in 2026. Chris Godwin will be over a year removed from his broken ankle. He would assume the WR1 role if Evans departs or retires. While he isn’t the contested catch cheat code that Evans is, he still has the best hands on the team and can be the fulcrum of a potent NFL offense.

WR2 would be up for grabs between Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka. McMillan missed most of the season with a broken neck, but when he was on the field, he was the Bucs’ best weapon against man coverage. He led the team with 14 yards per target and a 100% catch rate against man coverage per PFF. Even with a small sample size, McMillan’s route running noticeably improved from 2024.

Egbuka was an early candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but he cooled off along with the rest of the offense. Before the bye, he led the team with 34 receptions for 562 yards, 21 first downs and five touchdowns. After the bye, he managed just 376 yards and two touchdowns. Like the rest of the offense, Egbuka’s struggles were mystifying both to the fanbase and the coaching staff. However, given his performance over the first half of the season, expectations will be high for Egbuka in 2026.

With this trio locked into the roster for at least the next two seasons, the Bucs could lose Evans and still not need to make any additions at receiver this offseason. It helps that they have reliable depth in Tez Johnson. The 2025 sixth-round pick stepped up alongside Emeka Egbuka when the rest of the receiver corps went down, racking up 28 receptions for 322 yards, 16 first downs, and five touchdowns.

Second-year receiver Kam Johnson also has a good chance to return, given his return abilities. Ryan Miller will have a leg up at next year’s training camp, given his 25 games played for Tampa Bay. However, the Bucs will be looking to upgrade their special teams, an area where Miller struggled in 2025 as he led the Bucs with six missed special teams tackles.

Evans’ decision this offseason is a major inflection point for the offense, but ironically it may not have a big impact on what the Bucs do at wide receiver. With Godwin, Egbuka, and McMillan in place, Tampa Bay would only need to address the fringes of the group. Evans is now in the position of being the cherry on top.