Behind The Scenes Look At The Bucs Re-Signing Mike Evans

With that began questions regarding a player who has become synonymous with Bucs football. Since being drafted seventh overall back in 2014, Evans has not only been a model of consistency on the field, but a fixture in the Tampa Bay community off the field.

Since suiting up in the red and pewter for the first time, he has been on a journey that is bound to see him receive a gold jacket one day from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. But with this deadline in place, it was not a guarantee that he would finish what he started with the team he started his career with.

When it came time to set a deadline, they wanted the team to take care of things.

“Just for them to make a decision,” Evans said on setting a deadline. “Do they want to extend me now? If not, then we’ll just play the season out and see what happens at the end of the season.”

In a league where wide receivers take to social media to request trades and call out the team, this situation was quite different. Evans and Gilmore didn’t want his new deal to become a season-long distraction. He addressed the situation and his future with the media before the season, and then in typical Mike Evans fashion, he let his play do all of the talking.

“My thought was, I’m just cutting off [negotiations] because I didn’t want reporters to be coming to him every week,” Gilmore said. “No, we’re football guys, Mike and I. We don’t want to be a distraction. We want to make sure we focus on the game and everything else will take care of itself later.”

That is not to say there was not any season-long concern about a new contract coming to fruition, especially as Evans showcased that he was still at the top of his game, finishing the season with 79 receptions for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns.

“There was concern,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said. “None of us want to lose Mike. From ownership on down, we all envisioned Mike being a Buc for life, but for me, it was really personal. It was a very concerning moment, you can’t help it sometimes, fear for the worst.”

Mike Evans’ New Deal Was A Long Time Coming

While there was fear that Mike Evans would not return after the 2023 season, both he and Deryk Gilmore realized that Tampa Bay was the only place he belonged, and they spent a lot of time working it all out.

There is something special about athletes remaining with one team for their whole career. Since free agency has taken off across professional sports, it is rare to see players stick with one team throughout as many players chase bigger paydays and better situations.

As Gilmore put it when it came to Evans, “I wanted him to be like that Derek Jeter for Tampa Bay.”

Working out a new deal is not as simple as one may believe, however. There are constant discussions over contract numbers as well as other factors, such as the changing of the guard at quarterback from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield.

“We’ve been working on this deal for a little over two years,” Gilmore said on the length of contract talks. With Mayfield coming into town before the season looking to get back on track, it was little surprise that he would look to Evans early – and often.

“Baker was coming in, I promise you Baker is going to get Mike the ball,” Gilmore added. “I said, ‘He’s going to have a great year, and this is going to cost you more later on.'”

Bucs general manager Jason Licht is all in favor of keeping the band together and having a reputation for working well with players and agents alike.

After the team’s 2020 Super Bowl victory, the team opted to re-sign all 22 starters in a move of unprecedented continuity. This offseason alone, each of the team’s top free agents re-upped to stick around. With Evans however, both sides were at one point $4 million a year apart.

This opened the door for the possibility of him playing elsewhere, and Evans and Gilmore both kept an open mind of where that might take him. “I told my agent that I wanted to hit free agency just to see what was out there,” Evans said.

Meanwhile, his agent was already exploring potential landing spots. In the video, Gilmore rattles off potential other destinations for his client if a deal with Tampa Bay couldn’t be reached.

To keep him around, Licht had to get the ball rolling, and he detailed when talks began progressing.

“I had conversations with him all season, in the locker room, at practice, after games,” Licht said. “‘Want to let you know Mike, we’re going to get something done. We’re going to work on this, we’re going to get it done.’ We got to the point where we’re at the [NFL Scouting] Combine talking, and we decided that we needed to amp this up and get it done.”

“The Bucs Were Number One The Whole Time”

It was on the night of March 3rd when Mike Evans and Deryk Gilmore were on the phone when Evans made it clear that he wanted to remain a Buc for life. After thinking about the possibility of playing elsewhere, he realized Tampa Bay was where he belonged.

“The Bucs were number one the whole time, so after I thought about it, it didn’t make sense,” Evans said. “If I wanted to go to the Bucs, they’re offering me everything that I wanted. Me and my wife, we came to the decision like, ‘We should stay in Tampa.'”

That made Jason Licht one happy man.

Evans was Licht’s first draft pick as general manager back in 2014. Both have set their roots in Tampa Bay and while front offices often try not to form close relationships with players as they often come and go, this pairing has proven to be an exception.

“Every player has a right to check out situations for the betterment of them personally, Licht said. “Their family, their livelihood. You never take a player like Mike for granted. Just being honest, there were many, many nights that I felt like fear of the worst that he wouldn’t come back.”

Evans’ return to the Bucs means that he can keep building on his legacy. While he has quite the resume already, the documentary concluded with him discussing what he wants to be known for when he eventually decides to hang up his cleats.

“A solid legacy,” Evans said. “Won some games, broke records, made some good coin, took care of his family, and helped out in the community.”

Watch The Behind The Scenes Of Mike Evans’ Re-Signing With The Bucs

To check out the full 11-minute documentary as told by Hassan Khan detailing the process of Mike Evans returning to the Bucs, check it out on the Time2Football YouTube channel below.