Why Did Mike Evans Approve His Agent Lashing Out?
September 1st, 2023
So Mike Evans’ agent is on a screaming spree, barking on various mediums that his client wants a new contract extension in less than a week or else.
Joe is far more interested in why Evans approved his agent going scorched earth.
Sure, it’s possible that Evans’ agent didn’t get a green light from his future Hall of Fame client, but most likely he did and it’s a little concerning.
Why? Because it doesn’t feel like Mike Evans. And if Evans isn’t himself, that’s probably bad for the Bucs on the field.
Given Evans’ status as a Bucs icon, Joe can’t imagine Team Glazer would have passed on a classy meeting with Evans for a billionaire-to-baller chat about his future. It sure seems like Evans and his agent didn’t go that route.
No matter how anyone tries to spin it, it’s Team Glazer’s decision on whether Evans stays or goes. And Evans does want to say. Even his bellowing and bloviating agent doesn’t deny that.
Team Glazer gutted the team in 2009 after back-to-back 9-7 seasons. They fired legend Derrick Brooks despite knowing he’d be a great gift to a young head coach, Raheem Morris, and a stellar presence for young players.
In hindsight, Joe can’t imagine Team Glazer thinks that was a savvy football move, though it did help ownership’s wallet.
In today’s game, the NFL labor agreement orders teams to spend and it’s much harder for clubs to go the cheap route. The Bucs certainly have spent a ton of money in recent years, including massive cash bonuses to allow to allow them to manipulate their salary cap, which handcuffs them today.
Joe thinks the Evans question really comes down to ownership.
Does Team Glazer want to pay market value for an entertaining, legendary player beloved by fans and teammates, or does it want to wave goodbye and try to sell fans that it made a decision in the best interest of the franchise?
Joe knows Bucs opponents will celebrate if the team parts with Evans. Just think of how happy the Bucs are that the Vikings, their opening day opponent, cut Dalvin Cook.
September 1st, 2023 at 9:35 am
Season hasn’t started and we are already seeing dark clouds looming in the horizon.
September 1st, 2023 at 9:44 am
Mike will forever be a Bucs legend. I say if he wants out to get a huge extension elsewhere, we should trade him(as long as we get compensated fairly).
September 1st, 2023 at 9:46 am
The fact of the matter is that the Bucs cannot pay everyone…..that’s why drafting well is so important. Wirfs, Winfield, White, Evans. Someone isn’t going to be here maybe even two of them. And that’s also not factoring in Mayfield if he balls out this year..
September 1st, 2023 at 9:47 am
just pay the man. 2 mill up front. 5 years for 10 mill total
September 1st, 2023 at 9:51 am
To answer your question Joe:
Because deep down, ME is a whiny little biotch.
September 1st, 2023 at 9:52 am
Tacky move.
September 1st, 2023 at 9:53 am
This year, the Bucs are at the crossroads. Which way the franchise will go will be determined by how the season goes. Reports are that ME13 will carry a lot of dead cap money even if he leaves, so I would favor extending his contract that kicks the can down the road. Another way is to give him a lot of guaranteed money up front that doesn’t count too much toward the cap, but figuring that out will be for the ‘capologists’ out there. Either way, he needs to retire (and go to the HoF) as a Buccaneer.
September 1st, 2023 at 9:53 am
As Geoffrey Chaucer once said – “All good things must come to an end.”
Play out the first half of the season. If the Bucs flounder then trade Mike Evans to the highest bidder who has the cap money left to make the trade.
If the Bucs are having a solid season then let it play out and allow both Devin White and Mike Evans to test the free agent market. I bet they will both be disappointed by the results.
September 1st, 2023 at 9:53 am
Where is the lashing out? He didn’t lash out. They should pay him. After all that Mike has done and considering the fact that he is still dominate why wouldn’t you pay him? He wants a dollar over Godwin’s deal…. Give it to him!!
September 1st, 2023 at 9:55 am
All the Glazers care about is money. It’s always been about the money to them. This team came very close to moving to Baltimore. Don’t ever forget that. They don’t care about Tampa Bay. They ONLY care about money. Don’t ever forget that.
September 1st, 2023 at 9:56 am
@ Boss
LOL.
I wish Evans would take that deal. But sadly he will probably want at least what Chris Godwin got – 3 years @ $60M with $45M guaranteed…
September 1st, 2023 at 10:11 am
“Does Team Glazer want to pay market value for an entertaining, durable, legendary and productive player beloved by fans and teammates?”
His avg salary per year on his current deal puts him at 17th in the league. Which means most years he was closer to being a top 10 paid WR since he’s in the last years of it.
He was 13th in yards, 25th in catches and TDs last year. He’s typically been a 70 catch 1100 WR with 10 TDs. That’s great but not top 5-10 or close.
In my mind $18-20M per year would be above market value but it sounds like he wants $25M-$27M a year if we’re going off the Kupp deal. If so that’s insane especially knowing we already have Godwin and the Rams and other teams over-paying their top WR do not have a 2nd WR at $20M+.
IMO his agent / him are being stupid, unless the Bucs aren’t offering anything above $15M or something
September 1st, 2023 at 10:11 am
Don’t mean to say not top 5-10 “or close”. He’s close lol he’s a very legit talent I love him but damnit man
September 1st, 2023 at 10:16 am
Cooper kupp he is not. He’s been great for us but you can’t overpay in our situation.
September 1st, 2023 at 10:22 am
Keep Mike. Johnny Wilson to the Bucs.
September 1st, 2023 at 10:26 am
Let Evans play out the year and reassess in March. In the meantime, let’s see how Palmer does. If he does great, let Evans walk and use Godwin and Palmer as WR 1 and 2. If Evans has his typical year, pay the man. He’s worth it.
September 1st, 2023 at 10:29 am
“All the Glazers care about is money. It’s always been about the money to them. This team came very close to moving to Baltimore. Don’t ever forget that. They don’t care about Tampa Bay. They ONLY care about money. Don’t ever forget that.”
Umm, I don’t think it was the Glazers that threatened Baltimore. That was Peter Angelos, when the Culverhouse clan was selling the team.
I don’t know why people bitch about the Glazers, unless they forgot/weren’t here for those joyous years of Culverhouse ownership. They’ve spent, brought championships and by and large the team has been entertaining.
September 1st, 2023 at 10:30 am
If he gets a serious injury this year, it might cost him tens of millions. The Bucs have been crying about the salary cap all offseason. A reasonable extension could mitigate both. I can see why the team’s refusal would be insulting for Evans. It shows they want to see how Palmer and Jarrett work out, and what the draft looks like next year, first.
September 1st, 2023 at 10:44 am
Mike has to do what’s best for him, the Bucs need to do what’s best for them. Sometimes the two just don’t mesh. We’re in salary cap hell because we kicked the can down the road to many times. If Montana can go to K.C., Rodgers to the Jets, you get my drift, Mike can go too. Hate to see this side of pro football, but nobody is wrong, or right in this situation. Mike’s making what, 23 million this year? Can’t feel sorry for him. Whether it’s here, or somewhere else mike will be making money. Regardless if he ends up somewhere else like Lynch, and Sapp, he’ll still retire a Buc. He’ll be in the ROH, and all will be forgiven.
September 1st, 2023 at 10:46 am
Slow nfl news week apparently I ain’t worried till next march
September 1st, 2023 at 10:47 am
This sucks. I hope that they can come to some sort of compromise. He is easily the best receiver this team has ever had, regardless of how he compares to the greatest on other teams. We should make every reasonable effort to re-sign him. I hope that if we fail to extend him that it doesn’t hurt his performance on the field. We need him this year for sure.
September 1st, 2023 at 11:00 am
I think if Mike doesn’t finish as a Buc or is let go to another team it signals that the Bucs will see some very lean and very financially restricted years as the Glazers will be trying to balance the check book across the pond after losing over 250 million the past three years combined…
September 1st, 2023 at 11:09 am
Time to let him go. He got paid for what he accomplished.
September 1st, 2023 at 11:24 am
Frozen Buck…. or maybe he sees this year’s quarterback situation as a low point for his time with the Bucs and figures it will be tough to keep his streak going if he stays here. He has been selfless on his contracts to date and been willing to renegotiate to help the team free up money.
September 1st, 2023 at 11:27 am
This is NOT on the Glazers! They went through their overleveraged period with the ManU purchase with a few years on the cheap for the Bucs but once Man U became golden the Glazers have spend bigtime on the Bucs.
More importantly they have invested in the Community. They are now probably in the top ten of NFL ownership.
It’s not on Mike either. It’s America and he’s allowed to grab every schekel he can. But it’s not an attractive look! Mike already has a net worth of over 25 MILLION!!! That’s enough to keep an extended family in great shape. So arguing over whether 10 million next year or 20 million is necessary just seems sad and a total lack of life priorities.
September 1st, 2023 at 11:42 am
Nobody from the Bucs organization says they don’t want to pay Mike Evans, or to let him finish his career as a Buc. 100% of the hyperbole on this matter – a tempest in a teapot – is coming from the agent.
Jason Licht no doubt has good reason to wait to make a contract extension offer to Evans. It would not be surprising if he is negotiating with another player to add to the roster the week before opening day, as he did with Leonard Fournette in 2020, and needs to see where that ends up so that he knows his target cap reduction in a renegotiated Mike Evans contract extension.
In any case, the Bucs hold all the cards. Either Evans plays for the Bucs this season, or he doesn’t get paid. Ditto next season with the franchise option, and a second franchise option the following year. This more than likely reflects the weak bargaining position of the agent.
Don’t worry about Mike Evans – he’s a good teammate and he’s no prima donna. If he is authorizing this stuff from his agent, that is only how the negotiating game is played.
September 1st, 2023 at 11:45 am
Deal him by the trade deadline … wrong side of 30 and wants too much money.
September 1st, 2023 at 12:08 pm
@ DFW Buc
“or maybe he sees this year’s quarterback situation as a low point for his time with the Bucs”
No. Josh McCown was the Bucs starting QB his rookie season. You can’t go any lower than that…
September 1st, 2023 at 12:12 pm
Kupp is paying California taxes on that also
September 1st, 2023 at 1:43 pm
ME13 is a Buc for life! We need to do the needful and stop the crap. He’s restructured MANY times in the past to help the team, is our best/top-record holding WR and a class act (other than w/ Marshon Lattimore and I don’t mind that, cause I hate the Saints)…so let’s cut the bull and extend his contract, relieve cap space and keep it moving.
September 1st, 2023 at 2:00 pm
I want to keep Evans, but I believe once again he’s getting bad advice from someone (his agent) telling he’s worth more than he is worth.I’m afraid his agent is leading him down a bad p.
Remember, players are played for potential b ased on their past performance. Evans is at that point in his career where his potential will not increase, but he’s still performing at a pretty high level.
September 1st, 2023 at 4:05 pm
Won’t hurt us this year, no way he gives up a chance at history over money.
If he sits a year, the consecutive thing is OVER.
Let’s focus on this year and see what happens.
I love Mike, but this has no way of working this late and screams of a whinny last ditch effort by his agent.
How much do these guys make?
Dang I could have gotten Mike paid last year.
September 1st, 2023 at 5:51 pm
This team does not need a diva distraction right before the season. We went through that last year.
September 1st, 2023 at 9:27 pm
The premise of this entire article is ridiculous, based on pure speculation that Evans is telling his agent what to say and not to say. If things ever get to that point, a player doesn’t need an agent, keep the agent’s cut and becomes Lamar Jackson.
Nothing like a slow news day …
September 2nd, 2023 at 5:00 am
This is less about Mike and more about a slime ball agent. It has been a team cap situation/other contracts coming due that has kept his extension on the back burner. It will now likely will stay there until next league year especially if Greenberg can rework some other contracts.
But this was an opportune moment for this &%$# ball to try this low life tactic.
September 2nd, 2023 at 5:52 am
If it’s true as “reported” that he wants a Cooper Kuup like 3 year/$80 million dollar exception ( think the Rams may want to claw that one back given his injuries since ? ) , then this could be the ultimate Mexican Standoff. It would be a mistake to offer something similar even for sentimental reasons. I like what another poster proposed…Evans for Jonathan Taylor actually…and not completely far fetched.
September 2nd, 2023 at 6:02 am
He wants out and this is a way of saying it!!
September 2nd, 2023 at 7:53 am
Should’ve stuck with Trask and not wasted money on Mayfield they’ll bench by week 6…