Buccaneers invest in Mike Evans, give star receiver a huge extension
The best thing going for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going forward is still the combination of quarterback Jameis Winston and receiver Mike Evans.
Winston was presumably happy on Friday, because his top target won’t be going anywhere for a while. Evans will be happy because he became one of the richest receivers in the NFL. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the contract extension the Bucs gave to Evans is five years, worth $82.5 million with a whopping $55 million of it guaranteed. Evans is under contract through 2023.
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Evans has been consistently among the league’s best receivers since the Buccaneers drafted him seventh overall in 2014. He has at least 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons, though he barely crossed that line last year with 1,001 yards. He has 4,579 yards and 32 touchdowns in his career.
Evans is the type of big, athletic receiver teams covet and rarely hit free agency. Evans is 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds but a special athlete. The Buccaneers made a good pick when they took him and they’re not about to let him go anywhere.
The Buccaneers were a hot pick to make the playoffs last season, and fell well short of that. But the best chance at a breakthrough in coming years is with Evans catching passes from Winston. Evans is locked up long term, and presumably Winston will be soon as well.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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