Mike Evans' Best Landing Spots in 2024 NFL Free Agency After Buccaneers' Playoff Loss
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reeling following a tough loss to the Detroit Lions in the NFL playoffs, but they could soon find themselves hurting even more if one of their best players departs in free agency.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, star receiver Mike Evans could be done with the organization after the two parties failed to come to terms on a new contract prior to the start of the 2023 season. Evans went on to post a record-setting 10th consecutive 1,000-yard campaign—making him the first player to open their career with that many and tying him with Randy Moss for the second-most all-time—while leading Tampa back to the playoffs for a fourth straight year.
Evans may be on the wrong side of 30 and gearing up for his 11th NFL campaign—a point where many receivers who manage to make it that far into their careers are clearly on the decline—but there should be no shortage of interest in his services. Rapoport noted that several teams had made trade overtures for Evans last offseason, and it's hard to imagine these clubs would no longer be interested after he went off for 1,255 yards and a league-leading 13 touchdowns on 79 receptions.
With that in mind, here are five potential landing spots for Evans in free agency based on team need, projected fit and finances.
Buffalo Bills
1 of 5
The Buffalo Bills experienced true heartache over the weekend when a potential game-tying field goal went wide right in the Divisional Round. The team will open the offseason searching for solutions on the heels of yet another promising season going sideways before the Super Bowl.
Mike Evans could be just the answer Buffalo needs to come back stronger than ever in 2024.
Given how badly the Buffalo passing attack faltered against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday—not a single pass-catcher went over the 45-yard mark and only one of the Bills' scores came through the air—it's clear that another difference-maker is needed in Western New York. That will be especially true if Buffalo's brass decides to forge ahead without incumbent star receiver Stefon Diggs.
Diggs only caught three of his eight targets for 21 yards against Kansas City, a disappointing showing for a player who piled up 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns on 107 catches during the regular season. Perhaps most concerning was Diggs' painful drop while his team was trailing in the fourth quarter of its most important game of the season. It was the latest in a string of playoff disappointments for Diggs during his tenure in Buffalo.
While Evans' Tampa Bay Buccaneers were also sent home after losing their divisional matchup to the Detroit Lions, he fared much better on an individual level. Evans reeled in eight of his 12 targets for 147 yards and a score, doing everything he could to keep his side competitive against a tough foe before the game slipped away in the fourth quarter.
Diggs still has three more seasons left on his current deal after signing a four-year, $96 million extension back in 2022, but it remains to be seen if he'll play out the full contract. He's publicly vented his frustrations with the Buffalo offense in the past and the cash-strapped squad could get creative to part ways with him without taking too much of a financial hit.
Regardless of what the Bills end up doing with Diggs, they should explore all avenues to find a way to bring Evans aboard. It would take some salary-cap magic to fit a fair Evans deal in without moving on from Diggs—OverTheCap.com's Jason Fitzgerald noted the team will be nearly $50 million over the cap right now—but accomplishing that could set up Buffalo for a championship run.
Indianapolis Colts
2 of 5
The Indianapolis Colts were one of the surprise teams of 2023. While they ultimately fell just short of making the playoffs, they proved there is potential for this roster to make noise for years to come. The front office just needs to shore up a few glaring weak points this spring, one of which can be remedied in free agency via a Mike Evans signing.
Indianapolis lacks star power at the receiver position outside of Michael Pittman Jr. Pittman had another sterling campaign—finishing with 1,152 yards and four touchdowns on 109 catches—during a contract year and should be the front office's main priority in free agency. Even if the Colts retain Pittman, this offense needs another top-tier pass-catcher for the 2024 season and beyond.
Third-round rookie Josh Downs showed flashes, finishing the year with a respectable 771 yards and two scores on 68 catches, but must be more consistent going forward. Alec Pierce, a second-round pick in 2022, doesn't appear to more than a role player for the club after his sophomore campaign resulted in a middling 32 receptions for 514 yards and a pair of scores.
Anthony Richardson displayed elite potential during the four games he suited up for as a rookie, but the Colts' future hinges on the quarterback's continued development. Having the best possible receiving corps in place will go a long way towards helping Richardson reach his sky-high ceiling. Securing Evans, a player who has made a slew of quarterbacks look good throughout his career, on the open market would be a no-brainer for a team set to be flush with cap space.
While Pittman will command a pricy contact—Spotrac pegged his value at nearly the same as Evans, approximately $23 million per year—it's well within the realm of possibility for Indianapolis to use it's projected $66.4 million in cap room to come to terms with both wideouts. That would give Richardson the weapons he needs to grow into a high-end passer while helping the Colts reach the playoffs on a yearly basis.
Kansas City Chiefs
3 of 5
The Kansas City Chiefs may be the defending Super Bowl champs and gearing up for a sixth consecutive AFC title clash, but even they aren't immune to stretches of poor offensive play. Kansas City managed to overcome the loss of superstar wideout Tyreek Hill in 2022 to raise another banner, but there were times this past season where a lack of elite receivers have come back to haunt the club.
After the Chiefs finished outside the top five in passing yards for the first time since 2017 and only put up a middling 21.8 points this season—over a touchdown less than their league-leading 29.2-point average in 2022—it's clear this offense could use a shot in the arm. Bringing in Mike Evans, one of the very best wide receivers of this generation, would patch over the holes in Kansas City's passing attack to make it borderline unstoppable.
While Rashee Rice has done extremely well for a second-round rookie—finishing his first NFL campaign with 938 yards and seven scores on 79 receptions—he's one of the only reliable pass-catchers quarterback Patrick Mahomes has left to lean on. Travis Kelce remains the top target in Kansas City, but even the future Hall of Famer took another step back in 2023. Kelce failed to breech the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since 2015 and posted a new low in yards per reception (just 10.6 compared to a career average of 12.5).
Evans is the type of savvy veteran who the Chiefs need to remain atop the league's hierarchy for several more seasons, especially after he showed he can still play at a Pro Bowl level at the age of 30.
With a projected $51.7 million in cap space available, Kansas City will have the means to get a deal done with Evans. It remains to be seen if the club will want to bring in an aging talent with nearly half of their 53-man roster set to hit free agency, but the venerable wideout may be willing to take less than his market value to compete for another ring to close out a storied career.
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New York Giants
4 of 5
The New York Giants have been a wasteland for receiving talent over the last few years, but that could change this offseason if they are able to come to terms with a superstar like Mike Evans.
While Big Blue's biggest question mark remains at the quarterback position—Daniel Jones was failing to live up to lofty expectations following the 2022 season even before suffering a torn ACL—the team may stay committed to the incumbent starter for one more season or opt to address this issue through the 2024 NFL draft. That leaves receiver as arguably the main free-agent priority during an offseason in which the franchise will have approximately $40 million in cap space to work with.
Evans has shown he can succeed regardless of who is throwing him the ball. After a highly successful stint at Texas A&M with Johnny Manziel as his quarterback, Evans went on to secure the first of a record-setting 10 consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns to start his NFL career with Mike Glennon and Josh McCown rotating under center in Tampa.
Since that 2014 season, Evans has worked with four other starting signal-callers in addition to five offensive coordinators and four head coaches. He's found success with them all and should be able to seamlessly integrate into New York's system under head coach Brian Daboll.
Evans' presence would immediately elevate the G-Men's offense to a much more respectable and well-rounded one, a much-needed change after the squad ranked an abysmal No. 31 in passing yardage this season. The team has been able to move the ball on the ground during the Daboll era—New York has put up nearly 130 rushing yards per game over the past two years—and needs a receiver of Evans' caliber to take this unit to the next level.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5 of 5
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may look foolish for not locking up Evans on a long-term deal this past offseason, but it wasn't exactly a workable situation for the organization at the time. The Bucs were stymied by a $75 million in dead cap charges for the 2023 season, a burden that made it close to impossible to fit in a market value extension for the star receiver while still fielding a playoff-caliber roster.
Much of that dead weight is now cleared in 2024, but there are still some hurdles to clear before Tampa can properly pay Evans.
Bringing back Baker Mayfield should be near the top of the front office's to-do list after the veteran quarterback proved to be a boon on his one-year prove-it deal. Once an extension for Mayfield is ironed out, the team will want to work in new contracts for not only Evans, but also star defenders like Antoine Winfield Jr and Lavonte David. While Evans may be aging, he has shown no signs of slowing down and deserves to net a new deal commensurate with his consistent, high-level performances over the last 10 years.
Keeping the band together for anther season could result in an even deeper run than the Divisional Round one the Bucs just made in 2023. Given the alternatives on the open market for replacing Evans, it would behoove Tampa to simply pay their longtime pass-catcher.
Spotrac estimates Evans' value to be around $23.8 million annually, a sizable bump over the $16.5 million he averaged on his last deal. Regardless, the Bucs should be happy to commit that type of cash to their record-setting receiver, ensuring he remains in Tampa for the duration of his career and keeps this franchise competitive for the next few years at a minimum.
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