The 2023-24 NFL season is in the books, with the Kansas City Chiefs repeating as champions. Now, the rest of the league is tasked with getting better and making sure the Chiefs don’t make history with a three-peat. The offseason is here, and teams will be looking to make NFL Free Agency moves ahead of the NFL Draft. After failing to pick up an extension on the “soft deadline,” it appears the Mike Evans contract will run out with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, allowing the veteran wide receiver to become a free agent.
Evans has spent his entire NFL career with the Bucs. He has been consistent despite the team’s inconsistency at quarterback. Now, he will likely look to join a contender in hopes of getting back to the Super Bowl. Aside from a return to Tampa, these are the three most likely Mike Evans free agent destinations.
Mike Evans Contract Expires, Bucs Take On Void
Before we get into the Mike Evans free agent destinations, we should say that there is motivation for Tampa to bring him back on a restructured deal. If the Bucs were able to extend Evans, they could have avoided at least $7 million in dead cap. However, if Evans were to walk in free agency, then Tampa has the long-time wide receiver on the books for nearly $12.2 million. That’s a lot of money tied up in a player that isn’t in your building.
With a full contract restructure, Tampa could save themselves money while also bringing Evans back for his 11th season with the team. As of now, however, the two parties remain “far apart” in the negotiation process. This will most likely lead to Mike Evans testing free agency.
Mike Evans Free Agent Destinations
These are the three most likely Mike Evans free agent destinations. Not only would he make these three teams better while playing a massive role, but he would also have a chance to win his second Super Bowl ring.
Houston Texans
This feels like a move the Dallas Cowboys would make. However, the Dallas receiving corps seems pretty locked in for next year. Mike Evans is a Texas boy who went to Texas A&M for college. So, if he wants to return home to end his career, he could join the up-and-coming Houston Texans.
Evans has enjoyed the nice weather down south in his NFL career. While there are many contenders he could join, many of them play outside in the cold. Evans may opt to play indoors on a Texans offense that played extremely well last season. He would be another great outside receiver to play alongside Nico Collins. Evans could also add valuable veteran leadership to this offense, especially if Robert Woods becomes a cap casualty.
If the Texans want to make a push and go all-in to capitalize on CJ Stroud’s rookie contract, Houston would be a great Mike Evans free agent destination.
San Francisco 49ers
Brandon Aiyuk is entering the final season of his rookie contract, and there has been plenty of drama following the Super Bowl loss. While a return to San Francisco is not out of the realm of possibility, it is unlikely that a second contract will come from the 49ers. As a result, it makes sense for the 49ers to trade Aiyuk to a team that would negotiate a new contract with him. This would clear up money and a role at outside wide receiver.
Mike Evans would be the perfect free agent to sign. Evans would be great in the Shanahan offense, and he could negotiate a deal that would be less than Aiyuk’s $14M cap hit for next season, allowing the 49ers to make more moves to get back to the Super Bowl. It would also be another location where Evans could play in nice weather for most of the season.
Buffalo Bills
Gabe Davis is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. While the team loves him, so much so that he was a captain, he did little on the field in terms of consistency. He also was rarely part of the game plan in his four years with Buffalo.
So, the Bills let Davis walk while signing Mike Evans in free agency. It would surely be an upgrade, and it would give Buffalo arguably the most dangerous receiving corps in the league, and they have Josh Allen throwing to them.
Is it the offseason move that gives the Bills the best chance to win a Super Bowl? Absolutely not, but we also don’t expect Buffalo to make moves to become a legitimate title contender anyway.
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