Mike Evans Looks Forward To Being Wined And Dined
February 1st, 2024
Talks free agency.
Mike Evans is about to be the unattached pretty girl at the bar on a packed Friday night. Which dude brings her home?
After the Bucs lost to the Lions in the divisional round two weeks ago, Evans said he wanted to stay with the Bucs and hoped Pro Bowler Baker Mayfield would still be throwing the rock for Tampa Bay, too.
A day later, Evans declined to speak with reporters on locker clean out day.
Last night, Evans did talk to an NFL reporter.
Evans last night had a front row seat at a Houston Rockets game. He lives in the offseason in his hometown of Galveston, maybe an hour out of Houston. There at the game, Texans beat reporter Coty M. Davis, who also does work with the Rockets, got Evans to talk briefly about free agency.
Evans said it’s sort of a blast not knowing who he will be playing for this fall.
“I’m excited to see where I am going to end up,” Evans said.
That doesn’t sound to Joe like someone who still has a foot firmly inside One Buc Palace.
Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht has made it clear a couple of times that he not only believes Evans will be back, but that the Bucs can’t imagine him finishing his career outside of Tampa.
Joe is willing to bet as much as Evans like Dave Canales, he’s bummed Canales left the Bucs. And of course, Joe doesn’t know if Mayfield will be back either.
Lots of moving parts for the Bucs on the offensive side of the ball.
Caught up quickly with #Buccaneers WR Mike Evans and asked about his pending free agency:
“I’m excited to see where I am going to end up.” pic.twitter.com/Rz1UtwByFP
— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) February 1, 2024
Ira Kaufman Talks Private Chat With Bruce Arians, The OC Hunt, Clashing Mayfield-Evans Approaches, Martin Fennelly Loss, And More
February 1st, 2024 at 4:10 am
It will be a dark, dark day in Bucs history, if this franchise allows Mike Evans to leave in free agency… Especially to a division rival. I am very nervous about this situation.
February 1st, 2024 at 4:17 am
Nothing stays the same, there is always change.
February 1st, 2024 at 4:33 am
This does not sound like a guy that is committed to coming back as a Buc
February 1st, 2024 at 4:37 am
Bye Mike.
February 1st, 2024 at 4:45 am
Oh no! Mike sitting in a front row seat at the Houston Rockets game and his comment says so much. If he leaves, it will be a sad, sad day and next season.
February 1st, 2024 at 4:51 am
It would be sad if Mike left, but the NFL is a business and players at the end of their careers need to maximize their earnings. At this point I am more worried about poor coaching and what the Glazers do about this situation.
February 1st, 2024 at 5:01 am
The Bucs broke his heart last offseason.
He gave us a chance to sign him.
We didn’t.
Now he has every right to be selfish.
February 1st, 2024 at 5:51 am
I guess anything is possible with money. But I def got the feeling at the time when the Bucs didnt commit to Evans before the start if the season he essentially decided he was done with this org. I guess we will see. Business is business but I really feel like the front office didnt understand how serious Mike was when he said sign me before the season or else. Great season from him… hope he finds his way back.
February 1st, 2024 at 6:07 am
This should have been fixed last year. The Bucs knew the money they would have available in 2024, if the desire was to make ME a Buc for life it would be done. His contract could have easily been extended with the new money starting in ‘24, any competent GM could do this. Now feeling are in the equation and it is 50/50 if he returns. But have no fear, Bowles and Baker will get extensions and we will be told that we didn’t have room for an aging receiver who is still running by DB’s and scoring double digits in TD’s.
February 1st, 2024 at 6:43 am
I see Mike possibly going to the Texans or the Ravens.
February 1st, 2024 at 6:50 am
He will be catching passes from CJ next year
Book it Buc’o
February 1st, 2024 at 6:51 am
^^
Maybe but Ravens have only 5 million of cap space
February 1st, 2024 at 6:52 am
Hell Baker might not be returning from this already gutted alive franchise
February 1st, 2024 at 7:05 am
I say it all the time. It’s time to move on and get our cap under control and continue to build through the draft. Mike is going to the Texans. They have a boatload of free agent cash and will use it for Mike.
Good for him, thanks to everything Mike, you’re a hall of famer.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:06 am
Well, let’s just add this to the list of things to sort out this offseason.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:07 am
Folks keep thinking that the Bucs have a LOT of CAP $$$ available for 2024 … we don’t. Same folks keep thinking we can bring back all our FAs & add several more good ones for 2024 … we can’t.
The Bucs’ rebuilding began in earnest in 2023, and will continue unabated in 2024, and even 2025. Predictions at this time of year are not very valuable; nonetheless:
1 – Antoine Winfield will be re-signed to a 4-year contract, probably in the neighborhood of $18-$20 mil per year.
2 – Mike Evans will bolt for another team willing to give him a 4-year contract in the neighborhood of $25 mil per year (wouldn’t be surprised to see that be Houston).
3 – Baker Mayfield will bolt for another team willing to give him a 4-year contract in the neighborhood of $150 mil (wouldn’t be surprised to see that be Atlanta, although the teams with lots of CAP $$$ available AND needing QBs … Washington, Tennessee, New England … might throw a wad of $$$ at him).
4 – Lavonte David could go either way; not a clue whether he’ll retire or return for another couple years.
5 – Chase McLaughlin will be re-signed to a 4-year contract, probably in the neighborhood of $5 mil per year.
6 – Bucs will add several starter-quality FAs on both offense & defense to fill ‘holes’, but we’ll be counting heavily on a quality draft to be competitive.
So the GUESS is that Bucs will re-sign 2 MAYBE 3 of our Top-5 FAs, with Evans & Mayfield moving on. Bucs salary CAP $$$ will be the driving factor; we don’t have the $$$ in Year 2 of our rebuilding to afford the high-$$$ players AND build a solid TEAM to surround them with. Licht & Bowles (with the Glazers blessing obviously) will opt for a long-term approach that (1) continues to build the trenches; (2) reinforces the defense; and (3) adds new weapons to our arsenal. We’ll sign yet another cheap experienced QB to compete with Kyle Trask. Heaven only knows how that’ll translate in terms of our 2024 record.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:08 am
He’s gone, and that’s ok. Good for him, good for Bucs.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:09 am
Folks keep thinking that the Bucs have a LOT of CAP $$$ available for 2024 … we don’t. Same folks keep thinking we can bring back all our FAs & add several more good ones for 2024 … we can’t.
The Bucs’ rebuilding began in earnest in 2023, and will continue unabated in 2024, and even 2025. Predictions at this time of year are not very valuable; nonetheless:
1 – Antoine Winfield will be re-signed to a 4-year contract, probably in the neighborhood of $18-$20 mil per year.
2 – Mike Evans will bolt for another team willing to give him a 4-year contract in the neighborhood of $25 mil per year (wouldn’t be surprised to see that be Houston).
3 – Baker Mayfield will bolt for another team willing to give him a 4-year contract in the neighborhood of $150 mil (wouldn’t be surprised to see that be Atlanta, although the teams with lots of CAP $$$ available AND needing QBs … Washington, Tennessee, New England … might throw a wad of $$$ at him).
4 – Lavonte David could go either way; not a clue whether he’ll retire or return for another couple years.
5 – Chase McLaughlin will be re-signed to a 4-year contract, probably in the neighborhood of $5 mil per year.
6 – Bucs will add several starter-quality FAs on both offense & defense to fill ‘holes’, but we’ll be counting heavily on a quality draft to be competitive.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:10 am
So the GUESS is that Bucs will re-sign 2 MAYBE 3 of our Top-5 FAs, with Evans & Mayfield moving on. Bucs salary CAP $$$ will be the driving factor; we don’t have the $$$ in Year 2 of our rebuilding to afford the high-$$$ players AND build a solid TEAM to surround them with.
Licht & Bowles (with the Glazers blessing obviously) will opt for a long-term approach that (1) continues to build the trenches; (2) reinforces the defense; and (3) adds new weapons to our arsenal. We’ll sign yet another cheap experienced QB to compete with Kyle Trask. No idea how that’ll translate in terms of our 2024 record.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:13 am
Seems like goodbye.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:13 am
A lot of people on this board dont want to get locked into long term contracts the way the Giants are on the hook to Daniel Jones or the Browns to Watson both massive mistakes. Yes, the one year prove it contract for Baker worked out but he may have proved it for someone else. Of the two Baker is more important. All year Godwin and Evans were doubled so Baker made stars out of Otten and Palmer. Evans played a minor role in the Eagles blow out. He literally dropped a perfect TD pass on his open palms in stride. Baker kept calm and found a rookie for a TD.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:13 am
Weird analogy. Okay
February 1st, 2024 at 7:20 am
and DR
6. We have a bunch of players signed on “futures” contracts but none of those guys are actually counting against our Salary Cap. We actually today only have 34 players counting against our top 51 player salary cap.
So that is 17 more players that will have to count against the cap.
i.e. Winfield, Evans, Mayfield, David, McLaughlin are 5. Then 6 draft picks. That totals 11.
So we need at least 6 other players that will count against our cap. If you assume 6 players at 800,000 a piece that is almost another 5 million less we will have in salary cap then is currently shown.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:31 am
When you’re shopping for a used car you NEVER let on that you’re remotely interested in the one you want
February 1st, 2024 at 7:32 am
Few wide receivers are stars every week. Someone suggesting that you can replace Evans with Palmer is just hoping that Palmer makes a lot of huge strides. I hope they are correct but extremely doubtful.
With Evans owning a home just 30 minutes from Houston’s NRG stadium, and no income tax in Houston, I could see him going there.
What we don’t know is how much DeMeco Ryans would value him over the current Houston starting duo who both broke out with Stroud last year.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:34 am
I would hate to see Mike go but playing an hour for your home sure is attractive. The Texans need a wide receiver and Mike sure would make CJ Stroud even better.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:39 am
No team is going to pay a WR who will 31 years old by the start of the season a huge contract more than 2-3 years. I suspect a team may offer Evans $75 million for 3 years with only the first 2 years guaranteed.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:46 am
Yeah, looking more and more like Mike is gonna be a Texan next season. And I’ll miss him and be sad that it got to that point, but if he’s wanting $25-28M per, it’s probably time to say goodbye. I MIGHT support $25M per on a two year deal with say $40M guaranteed (that’s almost the freaking Brady deal for reference), but if he’s wanting a three year deal, it’s gonna have to be in the $23.5M per range or way lower on the guarantees for me. I don’t see anyone signing him to a four year deal at his age. If he wants Kupp money, we’ll pay him what Kupp makes after California taxes.
That being said… when are the Glazers gonna nut up and fire bowles? He’s the worst thing about the team and he’s gonna be all we have left! Gone: OC, STC, WR1, WR coach, OL/ running game coaches. Potentially gone: QB, QB coach, both opening day starting ILBs. Never had: pass rushers, true RB1. Not that I will even particularly miss a good chunk of those, but at that point you’re in a rebuild, period. bowles won less than 50% of the games with like 65% of a SB winning roster, who on earth wants to see a rebuilding team led by him??
February 1st, 2024 at 7:54 am
He will be back with the Bucs or with Houston.
February 1st, 2024 at 7:57 am
I don’t blame Evans for openly being excited about playing elsewhere….all that does is raise his price for Licht….
The problem is that we don’t get anything for him…..nothing for Mayfield, Winfield or LVD or Devin White.
Licht has continually let players reach FA without renegotiating their contracts because he has no money to do so.
This last SB cost us dearly….worth it but very expensive.
Burning money on Jensen, Gage, Shaq……..millions not producing.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:03 am
No one really knows. JLand TB have a better hand on it. Like Joe said he’s looking forward to being fawned upon by a few teams. Having fun with everyone’s mind. I do think he and Baker are watching the search for an OC pretty darn close. Better pick a good one. Still can’t figure why they didn’t jump like everybody else did. I do have a lot of confidence in JL. TB not so much. Actually feel sorry for the guy.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:08 am
He probably gets Houston to the Superbowl if he signs with them.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:23 am
With all these assistants leaving it makes me wonder if they have little confidence in Mayfield and Evans returning.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:36 am
Let the man get paid!
I am looking forward to seeing a balanced offense!!!!!
February 1st, 2024 at 8:36 am
I am sensing something seriously different this off season. Licht has a tough task at hand to improve the team if there are more departures due to free agency.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:38 am
We fear change. – Garth
February 1st, 2024 at 8:41 am
I understand the sentiment of wanting Mike Evans to finish his career as a Buc, but let’s not forget that Warren Sapp and John Lynch didn’t finish their careers here. They’re still Buc legends.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:42 am
Bobby M … I thought at first that these assistant coaches were leaving for exactly that reason (little confidence in what the future holds). But then again, coaches & their staffs get let go all the time; it’s a relatively unstable environment for most teams. And since each owner has billions of $$$ at stake, I don’t blame them for keeping coaches on a ‘produce or leave’ short leash.
Personally I’m glad that some of our offensive coaches went to Carolina since we’ll have a new OC this year. If the new OC has his act together, he’s got assistant coaches on speed-dial that he’s worked with in the past who he feels very comfortable with.
Worst thing that Todd Bowles as the ‘CEO’ of this coaching staff could do is insist that the new OC run a very specific offensive scheme. His job as HC is to set the broad goals & parameters, and make sure that the guy coming is a ‘fit’ for the personnel who we have (now & in the near future). If not, we’ll go through another ‘learning curve’ that usually translates into losses.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:48 am
@DR, I agree that many people are assuming we have cap space next year. They’re confused about this because the team decided not to spread out the remaining Brady hit. They’re not considering all the other void years and dead money still on the books. But, there were a few decisions made this past offseason that I didn’t agree with.
Signing Dean and Mayfield were unnecesary, and DWhite should have been shown the door before the season began. If those players were not retained, we would have had a bit more cash to play with. We could have given Evans a 3-4 year extension. We could have seen if our 2021 2nd round pick had any juice. We could have given a full season of game experience to Dennis/Britt.
The playoff run made everybody feel warm and fuzzy, but this team was in no position to make a SB run. We should have been building for a serious run in 2025 and beyond. The team made the aforementioned decisions based on the NFCS being a disaster, and thinking Bowles defense could carry a cash-strapped team to the playoffs. It worked, but it was shortsighted.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:51 am
You have 4 offensive coaches gone plus special team coach and 1 defensive assistant thats six coaches gone this staff is in complete disarray. Bowles keeps interviewing offensive coordinator after offensive coordinator is he just looking for the right fit or these candidates keep saying thanks but no thanks. Meanwhile back in mobile Licht is doing the scouting because some of our scouts went elsewhere who knows.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:51 am
Love Mike but with the way rookie WR’s ball out their rookie year and us needing a pass rush… WR round 1 and throw Mike’s money at Brian Burns.
February 1st, 2024 at 8:52 am
Love Mike but with the way rookie WR’s ball out and us needing a pass rush… WR round 1 and throw Mike’s money at Brian Burns*
February 1st, 2024 at 8:56 am
If we can find a trade partner for Godwin, and another for either Davis or Dean, we’ll have money for Mike (and maybe Burns).
February 1st, 2024 at 9:07 am
Geno711 … I agree with you on #6. However, I don’t think that we have the $$$ to re-sign Evans AND Mayfield … and thus we’ll end up losing BOTH (if one signs elsewhere for top $$$, the other has no reason to stay & will do the same thing).
We’ll re-sign Winfield & McLaughlin I’m convinced (they’re both too good in Bowles’ scheme NOT to re-sign). LVD will hopefully be back, but I really don’t think it’s about money; he just hasn’t made up his mind yet I’m convinced whether he wants to go through the ‘grind’ for another couple years.
You used the number 34 for players under contract (Spotrac uses that same number, if you don’t count the $0 Practice Squad signees). But included in that 34 are several players who ‘probably’ won’t play for us this year. Jensen & Gage come to mind (one due to injury; the other will be released due to cost). So then we’re down to 32 BUT … to free up salary CAP $$$ we’ll have to restructure several contracts AND probably trade or release 1-2 high salary guys (Carlton Davis comes to mind? So might JTS or Nelson since they didn’t produce much last year?).
So we MIGHT be talking about only having 30 under contract, and needing to add 23. We’ll more than likely re-sign a number of our ‘second-tier’ players (guys like Delaney, Gholston, Stinnie, Edmonds, Triner, Gill, Leverett, Skule, Thompkins, maybe Wells & Walton) plus Winfield, McLaughlin & hopefully LVD, and that’ll add 12-14 players to that 30 number. The draft will add probably another 7 keepers to get us up to around 50 or so guys. Add 3 or so quality FAs from ‘outside’ and we’ve got our 2024 team. It’s all doable, and if done right we could actually be competitive in the NFC South.
February 1st, 2024 at 9:17 am
realistic-optimistic … ‘The playoff run made everybody feel warm and fuzzy, but this team was in no position to make a SB run. We should have been building for a serious run in 2025 and beyond.’
I agree with you. We did quite well in 2024, but that shouldn’t belie the fact that the Bucs initiated a MAJOR rebuilding this past year and it’ll continue through 2024 & almost surely through 2025. Thankfully the rest of the NFC South is also undergoing a big transition (and a LOT of turmoil), so we can still be competitive within our division. Personally don’t think we’ll be competitive with the big dogs (like San Fran?) until our rebuilding is pretty much complete in 2025 (the fact that 8 of our 9 losses last year were to teams with winning records kinda bears that out).
February 1st, 2024 at 9:18 am
You never saw Paul Warfield or Lynn Swann drop balls,if it touched their hands they caught it.I would understand if he wasn’t considered a future hall of famer.I say let him go,lets get someone that can hang on to the ball.
February 1st, 2024 at 9:20 am
please STOP with the ‘dont know where Baker is going to end up’ slant. He is not going anywhere. The Franchise Tag is the key to make sure we keep him. End of story.
February 1st, 2024 at 9:23 am
“players at the end of their careers NEED to maximize their earnings.”
I do not disagree with this statement. I’d like to add some perspective.
Mike Evans is currently worth 25 million, LVD 7 million. IE neither of these guys NEED another penny. But it’s America where Billionaires without NEED continue to maximize their earnings. Can you say NFL OWNERS.
Still if Mike goes to Houston it makes perfect sense. Hometown! IF he goes to a Division rival so be it. I’ll always respect ME13 as one of the truly class acts in the NFL. I won’t begrude his NEED to feel that 25 million is just not enough…but really? Ok so it’s PROFESSIONAL football. I get that. Why don’t we become PROFESSIONAL fans. The hell with emotion, feelings, loyalty and the rest.
I know, I know…I’m the blog pollyanna and should probably be watching College football where the majority are playing for more “altruistic reasons.
I think LVD worth a paltry 7 MILLION gets this more than most. He plans to start a ministry…he has VALUES far more important that simple $$$
All of these guys are in different situations. ME is RICH beyond belief. LVD is wealthy, Winfield and Wirfs are waiting to get theirs and I get that. Baker is in the middle. He certainly deserves to cash in but will he play for the franchise that game him the chance to resurrect his career…or will he demand the MAX?
We’re about to find out.
February 1st, 2024 at 9:30 am
D.R.
As always I really appreciate your HONESTY and expertise re the cap. IF you are correct and I think there’s a good chance you are…that was a really gloomy outlook.
I’m the #teampositive guy and a FAN. I’ll cheer for the Bucs as long as they don’t bring in Belicheat. Watching a team grow is as much fun for me as watching a great team finally cash in for a SB.
So even though as you point out this is all pretty much guesswork..I took a look at 5 different mocks.
Most are predicting…3 QB’s followed by 3 WR’s.
2 had the Bucs taking a DB, they agree with your Davis is probably a cap casualty.
1 has an edge rusher, they agree with me! The Trenches…the pick btw is Jared Verse from FSU. OK Nole guys give us the run down on Verse. Is he worth a 26th pick?
That’s just a first glance…one had us picking a WR in anticipation of ME13 bolting.
Until FA takes more shape I think Mock Drafts are a crapshoot but they are part of the fun and speculation that takes place in the silly season.
February 1st, 2024 at 9:36 am
WRs in that era covered their hands in pine tar. lol
February 1st, 2024 at 9:37 am
Bucs are in a terrible spot. They have kept a below average head coach and are going to pay the price for it.
February 1st, 2024 at 9:44 am
I say again that Licht and Bowles will rue the day they chose Canales as OC. Canales now has an inside knowledge of our defensive schemes, is actively poaching our coaching staff, and will go after some of our top FAs, especially since they don’t have draft picks. I can’t hope but the worst for that traitor, but it will be the blame of Licht and Bowles for not requiring a two year contract commitment and not allowing intra-divisional coaching moves. We are losing BIG TIME with no compensatory benefits. That’s on the GM and Coach!
February 1st, 2024 at 9:45 am
Tampa needs to sign Evans again no matter what
February 1st, 2024 at 9:49 am
What are you talking about? The entire league knows Bowles defense at this point. He’s been coaching in the NFL for over 20 years. Canales is not the first OC to part ways with Bowles.
February 1st, 2024 at 9:51 am
Getting more worried that he’s leaving for the Texans and I can’t say I blame him. Would be a terrible loss for the team if he leaves. Good luck replacing his yards and more importantly his TD production this season if he leaves
February 1st, 2024 at 9:54 am
If they can’t reach a deal before FA they might want to tag and trade him. At least get a late 1st or early 2nd round pick for him. You’ll only get a 5th round comp pick next year if he walks for nothing since he’s over 30.
February 1st, 2024 at 9:57 am
@ DR
I agree with your write-up but don’t forget the Bucs have several contracts to restructure if they really want to use their salary cap credit card…
– Godwin
– Vea
– Dean
– Davis
– Nelson
There is about $50M to pull from these contracts.
Plus – cutting Jenson and Gage will give them a few million more.
Plus – giving Wirfs a new 5 year deal will also provide @ $8-$10M as well.
It really depends on how our GMs want to handle things and if they care about kicking the cap can down the road again…
Personally – I hope the Bucs continue the rebuild and are more fiscally responsible this off-season but our GM might not be so willing to let Mike Evans and Baker leave.
February 1st, 2024 at 10:02 am
New OC > Baker > Evans. If we hire an OC that Baker and Evans likes, that helps a lot. I think we will franchise or sign Baker, but if he bolts for some reason, then Evans is gone. Evans values his 1000yd streak and money, and he won’t get the 1000yd here with a rookie QB or Trask. All that said, I’m not sure we can afford both Baker and Evans. Let’s see what Licht does….
February 1st, 2024 at 10:04 am
@DR
Worst thing that Todd Bowles as the ‘CEO’ of this coaching staff could do is insist that the new OC run a very specific offensive scheme. His job as HC is to set the broad goals & parameters, and make sure that the guy coming is a ‘fit’ for the personnel who we have (now & in the near future). If not, we’ll go through another ‘learning curve’ that usually translates into losses
This seems to be Bowles history
Hopefully the coaching carousel will be settled before we need to get concerned about FA.
A lot of changes over the next month will tell
February 1st, 2024 at 10:07 am
Texans seem pretty loaded at WR, not sure they would throw massive money at Evans.
Commanders, Pats, Colts, Bears, Cards or even the Lions could pursue.
February 1st, 2024 at 10:11 am
@stpete, of course 25 mil is enough for a human being to live on. That’s not the point. He’s been underpaid relative to his peers for several seasons. He even watched as a less talented WR on his own team got paid more than him. To be clear, I like Godwin, but he’s not in the same class as Evans. Mike has every right to pursue a big payday.
He’s a model in the community, he’s one of the best players in team history, he’s still one of the best in the league at 31 years old, and he’s been underpaid for a while now. I have zero concern that his play will fall off over the next 3 seasons. Licht should prioritize his return.
I recently rewatched every offensive snap from this past season, and let me just say, Mike is the engine of this offense. He bailed out the QB on so many poor throws. And, he makes a ton of athletic plays that others on the team just cannot.
February 1st, 2024 at 10:14 am
Super awkward reference Joe. Now we all picture Big 13 in drag dating the NFL’s billionaire owners.
February 1st, 2024 at 10:24 am
This is a no story . The only way Mike Evans leaves is if he gets greedy and wants more than 20 a yr. I think the Bucs are willing to pay him that much especially since he always restructures his contract anyways to help us out. I can see us giving Mike 60 mill with 40 of it guaranteed over 3 years.
February 1st, 2024 at 10:32 am
ME underpaid…LMAO.
February 1st, 2024 at 10:39 am
Mike has given his all to the Bucs. And whether you agree or not..at a discount. I hope he lands wherever he wants too. He’s getting old. And this might be his last contract. Make that paper Mike. I’m not mad at cha.
February 1st, 2024 at 10:40 am
R-O
I agree completely with your post. ME has EVERY RIGHT to become even wealthier than his current 25 million. BTW I suspect the Bucs were willing to add to that amount but he can probably get MORE if he wants it.
I appreciate your response R-O. I suspect there is a common misconception that I’m some radical socialist who doesn’t appreciate Capitalism. Actually I appreciate BOTH. It’s the BALANCE we’re talking about and societal values of when is enough enough?
I’ve seen a lot in my life. I’ve seen far more people happy when they are satisfied with what they have, than people dissastified with what they have for whatever reason. That doesn’t mean I disrespect those who can never get enough. I feel sorry for them in missing the larger picture.
February 1st, 2024 at 10:41 am
ME13 is pissed that the Bucs didn’t present a contract before the season started and also let DC walk, probably isn’t excited about learning a new play book, but if he has to then he wants to get paid. This is surely a contract positioning move. If he does leave, I hope he goes to KC or Houston.
February 1st, 2024 at 10:54 am
Tough decisions to be made, you don’t resign baker, your probably gonna lose Mike, and if you don’t resign Mike your probably going to lose baker to the falcons. Baker said he was willing to sacrifice, we will see if other free agents are as willing to bring it all back together again next year
February 1st, 2024 at 11:19 am
I usually can roll with the punches with changes. However, the possibility of Mike leaving the Bucs, hits hard. He has been my favorite going back to A&M.
February 1st, 2024 at 11:22 am
DOMINOS
Canales is gone.
Let’s say Mike leaves …
Do the Bucs resign Baker?
I don’t think so.
February 1st, 2024 at 12:05 pm
BTW Since we’re obsessing on the $$$.
I married into a Finnish family. 2nd generation Americans.
If you simply google “Happiest Countries in the World” you will find many “lists”.
I always make sure Forbes is one of them because Malcolm ran for the Republican nomination and his publication is directed at Business…not a bastion of lefty socialists.
All the lists agree…including the one put out by conservative Forbes.
Finland always finishes #1 Occasionally 2nd place Denmark will swap spots of 1-2.
In Finland they have a concept of “Enough”. When is it time to be satisfied with what one already has? They are NOT pure socialists although their welfare and education programs certainly exceed the US by a LOT. They are also CAPITALISTS…Can you say Nokia, Nordia bank and more.
In Denmark they have the concept of Hygge…a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being
Hard to imagine but there are actually more important things than $$$, looks, fame or becoming an “influecer”.
February 1st, 2024 at 12:06 pm
Sounds like he plans to be paid, and paid the going market rate for a guy with his skills and production. The question is, will that be us?
February 1st, 2024 at 12:15 pm
Wonder how he’s gonna feel when he’s wined and dined and goes to greener grass and his 1000 yard streak is broken. Weird stuff happens in changing teams.
February 1st, 2024 at 12:21 pm
Marine Buc … ‘don’t forget the Bucs have several contracts to restructure if they really want to use their salary cap credit card’.
And there-in lies the dilemma.
o Godwin: His 2024 CAP Hit is $27.5 mil, but his Dead CAP is $26.4 mil and with a 2025 VOID YEAR bill of $18.9 mil. GULP! IOW he’s not going anywhere for quite awhile, so it’s worth it to restructure him, BUT (and here’s the kicker) can’t afford to keep kicking his salary forward (we’d already owe him $18.9 mil in 2025 for NOT PLAYING FOR US). Taking him down this year to anything less than say $20 mil CAP Hit would REALLY be detrimental long-term.
o Vea: Very similar situation. His 2024 CAP Hit is $21.0 mil, but his Dead CAP is $23.7 mil. His 2025 & 2026 CAP Hits are still way high, but his 2027 VOID YEAR bill of $2.3 mil is very manageable. I figure he’ll be with us through 2026. Again though, any restructuring of his contract gets reflected in the Void Year of 2027 (and beyond) at this point. IOW yet another example of ‘mortgaging the future’. Hard to compete when you keep doing that (ask New Orleans).
o Dean: I actually like him better than Davis (just wish that he could catch better). His CAP hit this year is $14.7 mil, but his Dead CAP is $18.1 mil. His CAP Hits in 2025 & 2026 are about the same, and his 2027 Void Year is only $2.3 mil. Might be able to squeeze a little out with a restructuring, but I wouldn’t go below $10 mil (still, that’d save about enough to sign McLaughlin so it’s worth doing).
o Davis: Personally I’d try to trade him or just cut him loose. His 2024 CAP Hit is $20.4 mil with a Dead CAP of 14.1 mil. His 2025 is a VOID YEAR that’ll cost us $2.3 mil with him as a FA. I’d take the hit now & save about $6 mil to get him off the books. That $20 mil is a LOT of money for only 12 games played, 3 INTs & 9 PDs (for 17 games I’d keep him, but that’s not his history).
o Nelson: Comes down to keeping either Nelson or JTS IMO. Nelson’s CAP Hit is $5.4 mil with a Dead CAP of $3.5 mil. JTS’s CAP Hit is $3.6 mil with a Dead CAP of $1.4 mil. Could save about $2 mil by trading or releasing either. JTS got 5 sacks & Nelson got 3 sacks, but Nelson is better against the run (still, neither impressed me last year and we don’t need both of them). What we do NEED is a beast DE/OLB to play opposite Ya Ya. Draft one, trade for one, or sign one in FA.
Can cut Gage (and save about $11.2 mil this year), but not Jensen (his CAP Hit is $6.0 mil but his Dead CAP is $16.6 mil).
Giving Wirfs a new long-term contract is a no-brainer IMO. Any QB we set back there NEEDS Tristan protecting his blind side. He’s a BEAST.
February 1st, 2024 at 12:40 pm
@ DR
I agree.
Godwin and Vea dead cap situation is already pretty ugly. But if our GM is desperate enough to keep players like Winfield, Evans and Baker it could get uglier…
C. Davis is an interesting situation. He is certainly over-paid for his level of play and how injury prone he is – HOWEVER – he is at least a mediocre CB who knows the system pretty well. If we cut him we get little cap relief but then we open up another expensive hole that will need to be filled.
Too many holes in this roster already with only 6-7 draft picks. The Bucs just might sit tight and over-pay him for one season then make CB top draft priority in 2025…
I would keep Nelson and restructure his $4M base salary. He isn’t great but IMO he is a solid rotational player. Shaq Barrett will probably get cut and the Bucs will give JTS on more season to show improvement.
Our GM isn’t too keen on cutting his own draft picks – especially a first round draft pick who is a somewhat serviceable rotational player…
I’m very interested to see how our GMs handle things this off-season.
February 1st, 2024 at 1:00 pm
Well all of this should be quite obvious, even to the Joes who support Bowles. All we kept hearing is how the players and coaches just loved Todd Bowles. Well maybe they do/did, but it seems as a person and not a Coach.
What is happening here is a mutiny (but in a respectful way) on the Bounty. No one in the Bucs organization is blasting Bowles as a coach in the media. But this mutiny should show you how they actually feel. And that is, they know he SUCKS as a coach.
The Capt. (Bowles) at the helm on this Pirate ship, just keeps going around in circles. He doesn’t have or see a destination, so he just keeps the ship moving, sometimes slowly, sometimes at a faster clip. Just enough to keep it from circling down the drain. The players and assistant coaches have seen this for two years. So they are departing from this ride. The Capt. doesn’t yell and get on any of them, he is mild mannered, so they just decided to wait until the ship got closer to a port and decided or will decide to jump off and get out of the h3ll hole.
This past year, sure they all liked him, but they saw no way to advance. So they played and coached to do two things. Help keep him at the helm so he wouldn’t be unemployed and to help raise their own personal stock so they could entice another ship to offer them a position on their deck. Many saw First Mate Canales bring an excitement and vision aboard the Bounty and liked it. So many chose to join the new Capt. Canales aboard his ship. He has a vision, he has spark!
It’s similar to working an everyday job where you really like your boss, as a person, but realize he sucks at what he does. You don’t want to blast him to the Corporate office, you don’t want him fired, so you wait out your employment until you feel you can’t take it anymore where he is taking the company. So you let him know you really like him and it’s nothing personal, you wish him luck and you bail for a better position/environment elsewhere. You do what is best for you and your future.
The Bounty with Bowles at the helm, is and always will be a sinking ship. Don’t give me the Division title BS, it is an awful division and you know it! But it won’t be next year, well except for Buc fans.
February 1st, 2024 at 1:20 pm
StretchoMatic … ‘The Bounty with Bowles at the helm, is and always will be a sinking ship.’
That’s a bit of a stretch, Stretch (sorry couldn’t help myself). Bucs didn’t set the NFC South on fire, but they DID win the division crown. And they DID make it to Rnd 2 of the playoffs, and played a very competitive against the Lions. Not that shabby for a team predicted to win 4-6 games at the start of the year.
What it tells me is a LOT about PLAYER DEVELOPMENT. We had tons of youngsters on this team (1st & 2nd year players), with many of them being undrafted. They gained tons of extremely valuable experience, and overall played quite well I thought. That says a lot in my opinion for the selection process AND for the coaching that they received.
2023 was Year 1 of a MAJOR REBUILDING. The Bucs’ hierarchy may be calling it a ‘retooling’, but just look at the numbers. It was a MAJOR REBUILDING. And 2024 will be Year 2 of that MAJOR REBUILDING, and all the turbulence that accompanies any rebuilding project.
Oftentimes you don’t know what you’ve got until you get it. Baker Mayfield is a good example. How many JBFers REALLY felt at the start of the year that Baker would have the kind of year that he had? Could say the same for a LOT of 2023 players like Ya Ya Diaby, Christian Izien, KJ Britt, Rachaad White, Cade Otton, Luke Goedeke, Cody Mauch and a number of others.
February 1st, 2024 at 1:59 pm
DR.
Agree with your assessment of the cap.
Part of me wants Evans to stay but many in the draft think that WR is by far the deepest position. One publication has 21 WR of their top 100 as receivers.
Obviously, none of those 21 will have as good as season as Evans. But for the long run, maybe the play is to let Evans walk and hope by year 2 or 3, you have a wide receiver that is as good as Evans in his age 36 year and at a fraction of the salary. You also helped your Cap situation.
February 1st, 2024 at 2:08 pm
How about this perspective, Stretchomatic:
The camaraderie aboard the Buccaneer ship is evident, fueled by the genuine appreciation for Captain Bowles as a person and leader. His leadership style is characterized by a calm and composed demeanor. Blow Bowles the man has created a positive and collaborative environment.
Both Bowles players and coaches alike find inspiration in his approach, contributing to a collective sense of purpose and unity.
The positive atmosphere surrounding the Buccaneers is a testament to Captain Bowles’ ability to inspire and elevate those around him.
As the ship continues its course, there is a shared optimism among the crew, fueled by the belief that under Captain Bowles’ leadership, they will reach new heights of success.
The Buccaneer ship, guided by a captain who brings out the best in each crew member, is on a trajectory towards a brighter and more prosperous future.
Bowles blows everybody but the Stetchomatic Man down.
February 1st, 2024 at 2:53 pm
Totally agree with Stretch. There is no destination with bowles. He’s not gonna get us where we’re trying to go. And by where I mean a dominating team opponents dread playing, I mean regular 10/12 win seasons, NFC championships, Super Bowl, etc. I’m of the mind, which I humbly suggest more than a few Bucs fans agree with, that we got where we got IN SPITE of bowles, not because of him. The issues are too numerous to go through in depth, but we’ve all discussed them ad nauseam: antiquated offensive philosophy, slow to make obviously needed personnel changes, slow starts (no opening drive touchdowns ALL SEASON, including postseason! Still boggles the mind), no in game adjustments, poor clock management & time out usage, inconsistent aggressiveness, refusal to hold players accountable, horrible soft zone coverage, not tailoring our game plan to opponents and their weaknesses/strengths (overblitzing the best QB in the league against the blitz in 21 anyone?), a defensive scheme most good OCs have long ago figured out, etc etc etc etc. I could go on for days. And for those of you that are NUMBERS guys, the numbers bear it out as well: career 42% win rate, 50% win rate in the regular season here, 1-2 playoff. WE CAN DO BETTER!!! Why sit here and slog and hope and pray that maybe, someday, hopefully, something great will come out of a guy that has NEVER been great (as a HC)? I’ll never understand it. I couldn’t give a F less about what’s best for bowles, I’m a BUCS FAN.
And can we finally put this 6-11 BS to bed? Defense Rules, are you honestly telling me you had us pegged at winning 6 games before the season?? I find that hard to believe. I sure didn’t. The idea that bowles dramatically overachieved is tied to what expectations were. If any of you believed idiot Peter King and thought were were only gonna win 2 games, that’s on you. And while I didn’t see us winning a playoff game, I thought it was a 50-50 shot we made them in a terrible division. I thought 8-9 or 9-8, so right where we were. You can’t at the same time say “oh we are in such a terrible division” and also say you only expected us to win six games. It just doesn’t jibe.
February 1st, 2024 at 3:24 pm
I remember 21 … ‘Defense Rules, are you honestly telling me you had us pegged at winning 6 games before the season??’
You can go back through the JBF archives and see very clearly that I had the Bucs going someplace between 10-7 and 7-10 right from the very start of the 2023 season. Personally I think the best you can do is predict a ‘window’ because of injuries, ref calls, and any number of things outside the team’s control. And the difference of winning or losing 3 games can easily come down to ‘dumb luck’ IMO (such as injuries to other teams’ key players?).
February 1st, 2024 at 4:14 pm
At that Salary they are projecting for Mayfield etc there is no way they can keep him, Winfield, David, and Evans no way. Give me Evans over Mayfield any day of the week. We have seen Evans get it done with a number of different people under center.
February 1st, 2024 at 4:21 pm
Evans goes to a team that has a 3 year Super Bowl window open. He’ll get 3 years, 65m.
Houston is home.
Detroit can afford him.
Cincinnati needs him.
KC guarantees the HOF.
All of the above offer far more than the Bowles led Bucs. There is no reason to stay.
February 1st, 2024 at 4:25 pm
He didn’t strike me as a guy who was trying to gain leverage when he gave them a deadline.
Time to learn their lessons.
February 1st, 2024 at 4:28 pm
I can’t believe so many of you have such strong opinions on this. Who gives a crap in February if we are not going to a Superbowl? See ya duchebags in September
February 1st, 2024 at 4:49 pm
@ Davenport
“Houston is home.
Detroit can afford him.
Cincinnati needs him.
KC guarantees the HOF.”
I can’t disagree.
Plus – ME13’s agent clearly told the Bucs “if you don’t give my client a new deal now you will not be giving him a contract later”
The writing is on the wall. I believe he will end up in Houston next season.
Plus – there are only 3 legit WRs available in free agency – so the market is very thin.
February 1st, 2024 at 5:34 pm
Honestly I think we keep Evans Baker and Winfield. The front office believes we can win a SB now. And I do too, I will admit that was not the case for me for half the season. But the grit those guys showed and the fight I mean they clawed their way out of a slump These guys are warriors. Keep them together somehow LFG
February 1st, 2024 at 6:20 pm
None of rookies balled out the way Mike did as a rookie. Gonna be real hard to replace his production
February 1st, 2024 at 7:24 pm
It was also a contract year for ME
He’s ran lazy routes before this season.
No one will deny those numbers. But I think the contract yr had a lot to do with is play.
I’ll wager it will drop off next yr. The ROI isn’t there.
February 2nd, 2024 at 6:14 am
Mike will be signed by Houston.
Baker goes to Carolina.
February 4th, 2024 at 12:04 am
Have your opinions, one and all, about the Evans situation. I want him back as bad or worse than anyone. But the moment you argue that Jason Licht is not a competent GM – you disqualify your opinion and prove yourself to be a fool.