05 March 2024 , 05:00
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The likes of Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers were left hanging after Mike Evans decided to stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs have agreed to a two-year, £41million contract with Evans, 30, to keep him in Florida. News broke on Monday that the Bucs and Evans had settled on a deal as the team aims to keep their key players for the 2024 NFL season.
Evans has scored over 1,000 yards in each of his first 10 seasons, including 1,255 in 2023 along with a league-leading 13 touchdowns. Even though the team is reportedly planning to franchise tag safety Antoine Winfield Jr, they were keen to keep their offensive star.
Evans was about to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, but Bucs general manager Jason Licht managed to keep him from going to the highest bidder - with teams like the Kansas City Chiefs interested in his services.
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Evans, who's been selected for the Pro Bowl five times and named a second-team All-Pro, has been with the Bucs since they picked him in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Last week at the NFL Scouting Combine, Licht repeated his wish to keep Evans.
“He’s an unprecedented player,” Licht told reporters. “We want him to be a Buc for life. We’re working towards that. Obviously, it takes two sides. I know he wants to be a Buc. We’ll probably have to strain a little bit but we’re working towards that right now.”
The Bucs have made sure Evans will probably stay with them for his whole career. His new deal means he gets £20.5m every year, which is a lot more than before.
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Evans is comfortably the most decorated receiver in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history (Getty Images)Evans has caught more passes for more yards and touchdowns than any other player in Buccaneers history. He's way ahead of the next person, Chris Godwin.
But the Chiefs also want a great receiver like Evans. They've won the Super Bowl twice in a row and want to complete a three-peat. Last year, their team did well even though they need better receivers. If Evans joined them, other teams would have a tough time.
Meanwhile, the New York Jets have shown a keen interest in teaming up four-time MVP quarterback Rodgers with a receiver like Evans. Last season, at the trade deadline, Jets general manager Joe Douglas asked about the availability of Evans and Las Vegas Raiders superstar Davante Adams.
However, neither the Bucs nor Raiders wanted to let go of their prized players. It's not hard to see why; in the Bucs' Divisional Round playoff loss to the Detroit Lions, Evans shone brightly, racking up 147 yards on eight catches with a touchdown.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
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