{"id":752701,"date":"2026-02-14T23:50:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T23:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/752701\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T23:50:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T23:50:33","slug":"mike-evans-likely-to-stay-with-buccaneers-impacting-baker-mayfields-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/752701\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Evans Likely to Stay with Buccaneers, Impacting Baker Mayfield’s Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Will Baker Mayfield<\/a> have his top wide receivers in 2026 in Tampa? This is one of the biggest questions of the offseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mike Evans<\/a>, a veteran of 12 NFL<\/a> seasons, has spent his entire career with the Bucs and is set to become a free agent this offseason. Throughout his career, he has accumulated 13,052 receiving yards and 109 total touchdowns, both of which are franchise records. Evans also began his career with 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, tying him with Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in NFL history.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Evans is coming off a 2025 season plagued by injuries, where he accumulated only 368 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. As he approaches free agency, several teams are likely to compete for the six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver. One team mentioned<\/a> as a potential destination is the Buffalo Bills<\/a>. However, Fox Sports’ Greg Auman believes that Evans will remain with the Buccaneers.<\/p>\n

\"Wide<\/p>\n

Wide receiver Mike Evans has scored a franchise-record 109 touchdowns during his 12-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

(Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

“Evans, 32, has a Hall of Fame r\u00e9sum\u00e9 already with 108 career touchdown catches, so this is a three-way fork \u2014 does he retire at 32, coming off a year when he played only eight games due to hamstring and collarbone injuries?” Auman wrote.<\/a> “Does he come back and try to help the Bucs to one more playoff berth after a down 2025? Or if the outside offers are compelling enough, does he finish his career elsewhere? He made $20.5 million a year on his last deal, but Spotrac only has him projected to $13 million for 2026. It’s likely he finishes his career with the Bucs, but leave open the slim chance he goes somewhere like Houston, close to his hometown of Galveston, with a strong contender he could help.”<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Evans\u2019 decision will directly impact Mayfield and the Buccaneers\u2019 offensive identity. Tampa Bay has built its passing attack around Evans\u2019 size, red-zone dominance and ability to stretch coverage vertically. If he returns, it signals organizational confidence in contending again quickly. If he departs or retires, the Bucs would face the daunting task of replacing not only production but leadership in a locker room that has leaned on him for over a decade.<\/p>\n

From a broader standpoint, Evans\u2019 r\u00e9sum\u00e9 already places him in Hall of Fame conversations. His 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons underscore his consistency and durability prior to 2025\u2019s injury setbacks. Financially, the equation is delicate: after earning $20.5 million annually on his last contract, projections suggest a lower market value of around $13 million per year. For Tampa Bay, the question becomes whether to invest in continuity with a franchise legend or pivot toward a younger, long-term solution at wide receiver.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, the Buccaneers will enter free agency with this decision looming over the offseason. If Evans returns, Tampa Bay\u2019s 2026 season could feel like the continuation of an era. If not, it may mark the symbolic end of one of the most productive careers in franchise history and the beginning of a new chapter for Mayfield and the Bucs\u2019 offense.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Related: Mike Evans Hasn\u2019t Made Decision on Buccaneers Future Despite Exit Rumors<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports<\/a> on Feb 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL<\/a> section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Will Baker Mayfield have his top wide receivers in 2026 in Tampa? This is one of the biggest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":716311,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2077],"tags":[1842,211,53,7,221,700,6,209,704,250,2597,2596,6603],"class_list":{"0":"post-752701","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa-bay-buccaneers","8":"tag-baker-mayfield","9":"tag-buccaneers","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-houston","13":"tag-mike-evans","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-tampa","16":"tag-tampa-bay","17":"tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","18":"tag-tampabay","19":"tag-tampabaybuccaneers","20":"tag-the-bucs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116071670982974850","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=752701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/716311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=752701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=752701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=752701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}