Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans will be eligible for free agency this coming March unless the two parties come to a contract agreement in the next seven weeks.
If not, Evans, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer who set an NFL record with his 10th consecutive 1,000-yard receiving campaign to begin a career, is seen as a potential target for the New York Giants in free agency.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report cites the Giants as “a wasteland for receiving talent over the last few years” and believes the 30-year-old Evans would finally give them a legitimate No. 1 wideout.
That’s all well and good but the Giants can get their act together at quarterback. Evans can’t throw the ball to himself, after all, and Kay mentions there could be a shift at quarterback to accommodate him.
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 clicked with quarterback Baker Mayfield this year in Tampa (79 receptions for 1,255 yards and an NFL-leading 13 touchdowns) and has stated he would like to remain in Tampa and possibly finish his career there, so it may take a whopper of a deal to pry him away.
“I would love to be back, I love Tampa Bay,” Evans said after the Bucs were eliminated from the NFC Playoff last week. “Been here my whole career. The city has been great to me, the franchise has been unbelievable to me and my family. I love this place. So, we’ll see.”
As for the financial part, it would take a whopper of a deal to convince Evans to leave Tampa. Spotrac believes he could command $23.8 million annually or a four-year, $95.3 million deal.
The Giants have just $35-38 million of available cap space at the moment. Throw in the uncertainty at quarterback and the signify of a big-ticket player such as Evans makes little sense.
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