Bucs, Mike Evans Haven’t Discussed Deal

Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is entering his walk year and his agent says the two sides have yet to discuss a new contract, as Trevor Sikkema of Pewter Report writes. It’s not clear when the two sides will engage in talks, but Evans’ rep says he wants to move forward with Tampa Bay. Mike Evans (Vertical)

We’re not doing any negotiating. We’re just going to wait and play it out,” agent Deryk Gilmore said. “We think that the Buccaneers are a great organization. We feel that they really care about Mike; they care about the direction of the franchise and where it’s going. … He’s under contract so what we like to do is let him finish up. We think [Evans’ stats and records] will speak for itself, and when it comes time to do the deal I think his deal will be in-line with what we plan.”

At some point this offseason, the Bucs are expected to come to the table with an offer. Evans has topped 1,000 yards receiving has graded out as a top-20 player at his position in each of his four NFL seasons. In 2016, when the Bucs’ offense was clicking, Evans raised the bar with career highs in catches (96), receiving yards (1,321), and touchdowns (12, tied with 2014’s total) en route to his first ever Pro Bowl nod.

It’s possible that the Bucs are looking to get through free agency and the draft before turning their attention to Evans’ contract. For now, they have No. 13 under contract with a $13.26MM cap hit. If they can’t come to terms on a long-term deal, the Buccaneers can maintain control over Evans in 2019 with the franchise tag.

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