The Buccaneers entered the 2023 NFL season with low expectations. Thus far, they have vastly exceeded those.
Tampa Bay won each of its first two games of the campaign despite many contending that the Buccaneers were the worst team in the NFL. As it stands, the team is in the mix for the NFC South title race and could potentially emerge as the playoff representative from the league’s worst division.
That said, if the Buccaneers start to regress as the season goes on, then they may start rethinking their approach to the season. They could decide to stand pat and continue to build around what looks like a solid core, but they could also decide to start building for the future.
That would require Tampa Bay to make a decision about Mike Evans’ future with the team. Evans’ contract is set to expire after the 2023 season and while the two parties have expressed an interest in keeping him with the Buccaneers for life, they couldn’t agree on a contract extension this offseason.
Evans self-imposed a preseason deadline to get the deal done, and at this point, it seems unlikely that negotiations will resume until Evans is a free agent. At that point, the Bucs could risk losing him for nothing but a compensatory pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, so they may be amenable to trading him — again, only if they are out of the playoff race.
IYER: Why the 2-0 Buccaneers are actually among the NFL’s contenders
If Evans ends up on the trade block, there are plenty of teams that would have an interest in adding him to their rosters. Here’s a look at some of the NFL’s most receiver-needy contenders that could make a push for Evans before the trade deadline.
Mike Evans landing spots
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs seem like the most obvious potential landing spot for Evans. The team has invested in the likes of Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore to serve as its top receivers for Patrick Mahomes, but that simply hasn’t worked out thus far. As such, the team needs to acquire a player to fill that void and give Mahomes a consistent pass-catcher who isn’t named Travis Kelce.
Evans would fit the bill and would add another bigger-bodied, contested-catch weapon to the Kansas City lineup. Between him and Kelce, it would be hard for teams to prevent Mahomes from finding an open player — or at least finding a path to throw up a jump ball.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys don’t necessarily need another receiver considering that they already have CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Micahel Gallup on the roster. However, if the team decides it is willing to go all-in, giving Dak Prescott a reliable security blanket like Evans would be a smart move.
Evans would be able to start across from Lamb while effectively giving Dallas two No. 1 receivers. That would allow Cooks and Gallup to serve more as deep threats in the No. 3 receiver role while giving the team elite depth at the position.
Add in that Dallas has $8.7 million in cap space (13th-most in the NFL) and the team could afford to make this type of move. So, if Jerry Jones sees an opportunity to go all-in, he could take it.
Detroit Lions
The Lions have an offense that is built to win now. There is just one hole on the unit, and that comes at the No. 2 receiver position.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is a top-tier NFL wideout, but the Lions have nothing proven across from him. Josh Reynolds has performed well to open the season, but Evans would be a big upgrade over his fellow Texas A&M alumnus. And even if Jameson Williams returns from his six-game suspension and is ready to play, he has just one career NFL catch since being a first-round pick last season.
It also helps that Evans’ skill set would complement St. Brown and Williams well. He’s a great contested-catch receiver while St. Brown is a great route runner and reception machine and Williams is a speed threat. Together, that trio could match up with any across the NFL in terms of talent and potential, so with the Lions having over $10 million in cap space, this possibility can’t be ruled out.
MORE: Inside the unprecedented hype around the Lions’ 2023 NFL season
New York Giants
The Giants were supposed to have improved during the 2023 NFL offseason, but it appears that they have instead regressed. Part of that is due to their porous offensive line, but another large part of it is their lack of a true No. 1 receiver.
Rookie Jalin Hyatt has potential, but the team’s other receivers — Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell, Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard — all appear to be complementary receivers as opposed to high-end starters. Adding a true No. 1 wideout like Evans to the fold could allow them to better settle into their respective roles with the offense.
But at the very least, Evans would give Daniel Jones a talented, consistent downfield target. That’s something he will need to find success while on his four-year, $160 million contract.
Atlanta Falcons
Unlike the Giants, the Falcons have a true outside starter at receiver in Drake London. However, they could use a better No. 2 receiver to complement the big-bodied wideout. Evans would fare well in that role and, at 6-5, would fit the Falcons’ modus operandum of adding tall pass-catchers to their offense.
There are just two problems with Atlanta as a potential suitor. One, they’re also in the NFC South, so the Buccaneers may not want to trade him within the division. Two, the Falcons are a run-heavy team, so they may not want to spend a lot of resources on a receiver when they already have London and Kyle Pitts on the roster.
Still, if the Falcons are in the playoff race, they may be a landing spot for one of their long-time rivals.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are another NFC South squad that might have trouble acquiring Evans from a divisional rival but could certainly use him. They traded away D.J. Moore as part of the package that landed Bryce Young but have yet to effectively replace him.
Evans would join Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark among a veteran receiving corps that also features second-round rookie Jonathan Mingo. That would upgrade the Panthers’ talent and depth while ensuring that the oft-injured Chark won’t have to play every snap. And having a good jump-ball receiver would aid in Young’s development.
MORE: Revisiting the Panthers decision to trade Christian McCaffrey
Green Bay Packers
The Packers have Christian Watson and have invested a lot of draft capital in the receiver position recently. Still, if they have a chance to win the NFC North, they could consider making a move for Evans, who would make a fearsome partner for the tall and athletic Watson.
Green Bay has $9.7 million in cap space and could use the veteran leadership of Evans for a young offense. The Packers could also sell him on playing long-term with Jordan Love, who has looked good in replacing Aaron Rodgers.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers don’t need Evans with all of the weapons they have on offense. That said, they are armed with a league-high $42.75 million in cap space, so they can afford to go get him to aid their potential Super Bowl run for the upcoming season.
Evans would add a new element to the San Francisco offense with his physicality and size. That would position the team well to compete against anyone while exploiting advantageous matchups with the likes of Evans, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle.