As the NFL Combine week begins, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles appeared on Good Morning Football and discussed the importance of the team re-signing two of its top free agents – quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans.

Todd Bowles: “It’s An Extremely High Priority” To Keep Baker Mayfield

Todd Bowles was first asked by Good Morning Football’s Peter Schrager on Tuesday morning about how high of a priority it is for the Bucs to keep Baker Mayfield in town. Mayfield will have other suitors on the open market, and after a career year, the team will have to come close to meeting his price tag. From what Bowles had to say, it sounds like something Tampa Bay will do its best to match.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

“It’s an extremely high priority,” Bowles said. “We have a couple of days before the league year begins but we love Baker. Baker had a heck of a year, he fit right in with us all the way around. The chemistry was outstanding with him and all of the receivers and the offense as a whole. You want to hope to build on that and I understand the business side of it. Like I said, we like Bake and we hope things get worked out.”

Mayfield not only performed above expectations, but he also served as the main leader and identity of the team. From the jump, he really did fit right in with offensive and defensive players alike while also working well with offensive coordinator Dave Canales. Although Canales is gone, he was replaced by Liam Coen, someone who Mayfield has some familiarity with.

On many levels, last season was a perfect match between a Bucs team being counted out after moving on from Tom Brady and a quarterback in Mayfield who was counted out as being a starting-caliber signal-caller. Both sides proved their doubters wrong and all indications are that they want to run it back and continue building off what went right.

Todd Bowles Wants Mike Evans Back

Bringing back Baker Mayfield is only one part of the puzzle for the Bucs. Mike Evans, the best offensive player in team history, is also close to testing the free-agent waters. Todd Bowles does not want to see the star veteran wideout jump ship and mentioned how he offers a lot to the organization and the city of Tampa.

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

“He had a career year last year,” Bowles said. “He had a heck of a year, and he’s been doing it for a decade now. We want him to retire as a Buc and everything we’re trying to do is put all of our resources into signing him back as well because Mike is great for the community, he’s great for the team, he’s great for the guys, and he’s a heck of a ballplayer.”

If these comments sound familiar, inside linebacker Lavonte David also said recently that Evans would be the guy he would prioritize bringing back if he were the general manager.

Even though he will be 31 years old before next season begins, he has shown no signs of slowing down and possesses a skill set that will allow him to gracefully age as he continues to use his size and route-savviness to get open and consistently produce.

It is clear that Mayfield and Evans are two of the biggest priorities for the Bucs to bring back, and the next couple of weeks will be telling by how they go about it and also add to a roster that has shown that they have the pieces in place to continue being the team to beat in the NFC south.