The Bucs have re-signed their future Ring of Honor inductee and possible Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans. This is according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter who broke the news Monday morning.

Evans was set to become a free agent when the new league year hit on March 13. But the Bucs and Evans were able to agree on a new two-year, $52 million deal that will keep Evans in Tampa Bay for two more seasons while compensating him well for his production and what he has meant to the organization. Evans is scheduled to make an average of $26 million per season, which makes him the league’s fourth-highest paid wide receiver, including $35 million guaranteed.

Evans was one of several key pieces of the Bucs’ 2023 NFC South winning team that was set to hit free agency. This list included quarterback Baker Mayfield, safety Antoine Winfield Jr., and linebacker Lavonte David. Keeping him in town is another sign pointing to the team keeping Mayfield, as Schefter alluded to in another post.

Mike Evans’ Career Is Historic And He’s Only Getting Better

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Mike Evans has amassed 762 catches, 11,689 yards, and 94 touchdowns over his 10-year career — those rank 45th, 33rd, and 13th all-time, respectively. And of course, at this point, just about every Bucs fan is aware of his 10 consecutive seasons of 1,000 receiving yards to start a career, which is currently unmatched in the 104 years of the NFL.

Last season demonstrated why Evans still remains an elite NFL wide receiver. Playing with Baker Mayfield, he caught 79 of his 127 targets for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns. That was tied for his second-highest touchdown total and was his most yards in a season since 2018. Keeping a similar offensive system was one of the biggest reasons Liam Coen was hired as an offensive coordinator, and the longtime star wide receiver will continue to remain a heavy focal point in Tampa Bay’s offense.

Mike Evans Bet On Himself And Won

Prior to this past season, Evans’ representation made it public that he wanted an extension. I surmised at the time that if the two sides were to work out a deal it would likely be for a bit over $23 million per year. The Bucs opted not to work one out and allowed their best offensive player in franchise history to play out the last year of his previous deal. Evans responded with an amazing year that included his career-high in yards after catch.

The production he was able to maintain has certainly given a boost to his new deal as it comes in at $26 million/year. That’s almost $2 million per year higher than my projection pre-season and $9.5 million per year more than his last deal which he signed back in 2018.

Bucs WR Room Now Fully Intact

Bucs WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin – Photo by: USA Today

With Evans now back in the fold the Bucs’ receiver room is status quo from 2023. The team will likely release Russell Gage, but he didn’t play in 2023 due to a torn ACL.

Evans re-joins Chris Godwin, who is entering the final year of his current contract, Deven Thompkins, Trey Palmer, and Rakim Jarrett.

This move helps to ensure an offense that looked to be on the upswing late in the year can keep continuity and continue to improve.

Godwin and Evans were one of the best-receiving duos in the NFL last year and will have another shot at being one of the best in 2024.