Bucs GM: Mike Evans Signing New Contract, Retiring with TB Would 'Mean Everything'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar wide receiver Mike Evans is set to become a free agent during the offseason, but Bucs general manager Jason Licht is hopeful he can strike a deal to keep Evans in Tampa for the rest of his career.

Speaking to ESPN's Jenna Laine, Licht said the following regarding potentially re-signing Evans: "It would mean everything for the franchise, ownership, all of us. Mike and I—our relationship is still the same and has never changed. And we've got a mutual understanding of when we're going to begin talking."

Evans, 30, has spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the Bucs since getting selected seventh overall in the 2014 NFL draft. This season, Evans became the first player in NFL history to record 1,000 or more receiving yards in each of their first 10 campaigns.

Following the retirement of legendary quarterback Tom Brady during the offseason, there were major question marks regarding whether the Bucs offense would be effective in 2023.

Tampa signed quarterback Baker Mayfield to a modest contract in free agency, and he responded with one of the best seasons of his career thanks in large part to the performance of Evans.

Mayfield completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and Evans was his leading receiver with 79 receptions for 1,255 yards and a league-high 13 touchdown catches.

Those stats represented Evans' best production since 2018, and they resulted in his fifth career Pro Bowl selection.

Evans' 10 career 1,000-yard seasons are tied with Randy Moss for the second-most in NFL history behind only Jerry Rice's 14, and his 10 1,000-yard seasons in a row are second behind only Rice's 11.

When considering those numbers and Evans' status as a one-time Super Bowl champion, it is likely that he has already cemented himself as a future Hall of Famer.

The Bucs would undoubtedly love to keep one of the best players in franchise history and one of the greatest wideouts of all time, especially on the heels of a season in which Tampa far exceeded all expectations.

Tampa Bay went 9-8 to win the NFC South, but it didn't stop there, as it upset the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles 32-9 in the NFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

That has set the stage for a road game against the Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Round on Sunday afternoon.

Over the past 21 seasons, the Bucs have made it past the Divisional Round only once, that being in 2020 when Brady and Evans helped lead Tampa to its second Super Bowl win in franchise history.

The Buccaneers are decided underdogs against Detroit, but they were last week as well, and another upset isn't out of the question with how well the offense is operating currently.

Regardless of what happens Sunday, the Bucs have already had a successful season, and there is little doubt they will go to great lengths to re-sign Evans and keep the positive momentum going next season.