Yahoo Sports Daily hosts Caroline Fenton and Jason Fitz react to Mike Evans’ plans to return for a 13th NFL season and discuss whether he’ll stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or sign elsewhere. Watch the full episode of Yahoo Sports Daily on YouTube or YahooSports.TV.
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Video Transcript
Bucs six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans wants to keep playing.
No shock there.
Fully intends to play a 13th season in 2026.
Where that will be is up in the air, as he’s an impending free agent, but his heart’s always been in Tampa.
So let’s figure it out, because certainly free agency is about to hit the NFL, and everybody’s got eyes on how to improve their roster.
Mike Evans played only eight games last year, failed to reach 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.
But Carolina, I struggle to look at that and say, “Man, he’s not gonna play somewhere.”
And we’re talking about somebody that has just over and over and over brought it, no matter what.
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I can’t imagine- Yeah … that that’s the way he goes out of the league.
He can’t.
There’s no way.
I was 0% surprised to see that Mike Evans wanted to come back.
I think that we need to be, realistic about what Mike Evans will be in his age 33 season.
There is something about that 30-year threshold where wide receivers, running backs, players just in general, start to see, you know, the back half of their career decline just a little bit.
But the thing that I think is, is interesting and specific about Mike Evans, what makes him so great?
It’s his size.
That doesn’t go away with age.
He, you know, he’s not gonna shrink and lose 50 pounds in the off-season.
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So he just has such a big, dominating presence that’s really difficult for opposing corners.
That doesn’t go away with age.
The other thing that makes Mike Evans so special is he’s got hands.
You throw anything his way, Mike Evans is gonna grab it.
He’s got sticky mitts.
That doesn’t go away with age.
I look at DeAndre Hopkins as somebody very similar.
DeAndre Hopkins’ calling card wasn’t speed, it was his hands.
He can have that level of production at 34, 35 years old, because that just doesn’t go away the way that speed starts to dissipate with age.
If I’m Mike Evans, I wanna go somewhere where I know I have a quarterback that is absolutely brilliant when it comes to football knowledge, right?
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Like, I wanna go somewhere where I’ve got somebody that’s seen a lot of football, that I’m gonna be able to just have that communication with, that I’m just gonna be able to look over and see.
Hell, we’re looking at Davante right now go in and continue to play at such a high level, no matter how old he gets.
Why?
Because he’s getting with quarterbacks that know how to make the most of veteran wide receivers.
If I’m Mike Evans, I’m looking around at a Buffalo and Josh Allen.
I’m looking around wherever Like, if, if, if my main focus, and I wanna say clearly, Mike Evans already has a Super Bowl ring, so he does not have to chase a Super Bowl ring.
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Yes, I’m throwing shade at some people.
Finally, Fitz, he can sniff a Lombardi!
Finally.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
‘Cause he hasn’t been doing that- Sure … in Tampa.
No.
I’m kidding.
If you haven’t- Buffalo … seen the video, go find it.
Google it.
there are- Just Google it.
Are Yeah, just Google.
Just look it up.
It’s not Yeah, yeah.
You, you go ahead and do your own thing.
there are a lot of teams that are far more wide receiver needy, where Mike Evans could probably be a bigger impact for.
I look at the Patriots, I look at the Bills, I look at the- … Chiefs.
Mike Evans could be a plug-and-play type of player, and make a, a massive impact for those teams.
I don’t wanna see a world, though, where Mike Evans isn’t wearing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform.
Like, he’s a lifetime Buc.