Mike Evans Won't Discuss New Contract with Bucs After Week 1 amid NFL Rumors

The 2023 season could be Mike Evans' last as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the "likely" outcome is Evans will leave the team he's spent his entire NFL career playing for, with contract talks between the two sides at an impasse.

Evans' representatives at Day 1 Sports and Entertainment issued a statement Friday announcing the star wide receiver won't engage with the Bucs on a new contract if no deal is reached before the start of the regular season:

"We have been working on extending Mike's career with the Bucs for over a year, and we want the fans to know this is not a tactic and the ball is in the owner's court. That said, we are giving the Bucs until the start of the regular season to make him a Buc for Life, and if that cannot happen, 100 percent of Mike's focus will be on football and his future and where he can continue to make an impact."

The statement also said Evans "wants the next phase of his career to be with an organization who wants him and wants him to help win a Super Bowl," but the Buccaneers haven't made him an offer at this point.

Considering there has been trade speculation about Evans throughout the offseason, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him playing for a different club in 2024.

It may not even take that long to get Evans on a new team. ESPN's Dan Graziano cited the four-time Pro Bowler as a potential trade candidate during the season.

Expectations are muted for the Bucs in a post-Tom Brady era. Baker Mayfield is going into the season as their starting quarterback. He went 2-8 in 10 starts between the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams in 2022.

Evans, Devin White, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Lavonte David are among the notable players on Tampa's roster entering the final season of their current contracts.

If the Buccaneers struggle early in the year and don't look like a playoff contender, they should explore trade options for many of their veteran players to see what they might get back in a deal.

Evans might be the most attractive player from the group of impending free agents because of his positional value. The 30-year-old is the only player in NFL history to start his career with nine consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

The least productive season of Evans' career saw him put up 1,001 yards and five touchdowns in 2017. He is owed $13 million this season with three additional void years on his contract.

Tampa Bay selected Evans with the No. 7 pick in the 2014 NFL draft. He has appeared in 137 games over the past nine seasons and ranks third in the league with 10,425 yards during that span.