The first big domino has fallen for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2024 offseason, as star wide receiver Mike Evans has agreed to terms on a new two-year contract extension.
Keeping Evans from hitting the open market is a huge win for the Bucs, and now, it allows them to move to the next order of business in their free agency plan.
Now that Evans is secured for the next two seasons, Tampa Bay can focus their attentions on the rest of their big-name free agent class, which has key players on both sides of the ball who will also need new contracts.
The next shoe to drop could be a new deal for quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is coming off the best season of his career, and clearly developed a valuable connection with Evans last year. Now that Evans is back in the fold, it would make sense for the Bucs to hammer something out with Mayfield, who should be enticed to build on last year’s success in Tampa Bay rather than chasing a few million extra dollars with a new team, where he’d have to start over yet again.
Tampa Bay also has some key players on defense who are on expiring contracts.
Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is the prize of the group, as arguably the best safety in the entire NFL at just 25 years old. At worst, the Bucs will keep him with the franchise tag, but they’d prefer to work out a long-term deal that would ensure Winfield remains a cornerstone of their defense for years to come, as well as giving them more financial flexibility with this year’s salary cap.
Both of Tampa Bay’s starting inside linebackers are headed for free agency, and while Devin White is the younger of the two, it’s unlikely the Bucs make an offer to keep him after he was basically benched toward the end of last season in favor of K.J. Britt, and relegated to a rotational role.
Longtime captain Lavonte David is the linebacker the Bucs will want to retain, as he proved last year that he’s still one of the best in the league at his position, even at 33 years old. If he wants to keep playing, another one-year deal should keep him in Tampa Bay.
The underrated free agent the Bucs also want to keep around is kicker Chase McLaughlin, who was nearly automatic last season. That kind of stability in the kicking game is invaluable, and Tampa Bay will want to reward McLaughlin for giving it to them.
There’s plenty more work for the Bucs to do if they want to keep their big-name free agents from hitting the market next week, but getting a deal done with Evans was a critical first step that should set off a chain reaction in the coming days in which Mayfield, Winfield, David and McLaughlin should all end up with new deals to stay in Tampa Bay.
[lawrence-related id=85537]