REPORT: Bucs and Mike Evans ‘far apart’ on new deal

Free agency officially opens on March 11, and it looks like wide receiver Mike Evans will officially wait until then to weigh his options.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have somewhat of a soft deadline for both Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield’s contract extensions on Monday, but at least one of those players won’t be getting a deal done, it would seem.

Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz tweeted on Monday that Evans and the Bucs are “far apart” on a new deal. Should Evans and the Bucs have reached one on Monday, his $7.4 million in dead cap could have been pushed forward, but barring a restructure after a new deal, the Bucs are set to take all of it in 2024.

While this may spell doom and gloom for some Tampa Bay fans, Evans hitting the market was always to be expected. Evans would be a fool not to see where other teams evaluate him, and teams like the Houston Texans or the Kansas City Chiefs could potentially be suitors for him on the open market. The Bucs are welcome to match or get near the offers he is expected to get, but it will be on Tampa Bay to decided whether or not he’s worth what his market value will be — and it will likely be quite high.

Free agency officially begins on March 11 during what is called the “legal tampering period.” Evans is like to get some offers at that time, and the Bucs will hope they can match them — until then, Bucs fans hold their breath.

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