The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost a franchise icon.
Mike Evans, the club’s first-round pick out of Texas A&M with the #7 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, signed a three-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers today that’s worth $60.4 million.
“The Buccaneers made it clear they would have loved for Mike to finish his career in Tampa and potentially become just the fourth player in franchise history to spend his entire career as a Buccaneer and ultimately walk into Canton representing the organization,” agent Deryk Gilmore said in a statement.
“Mike Evans’ decision to leave Tampa was never about money. The Buccaneers were extremely aggressive in their pursuit and presented a very strong offer, demonstrating how much they value him and everything he has meant to the franchise. In the end, this decision simply came down to Mike wanting a new challenge and a fresh opportunity while he still feels he has a great deal left to give the game.
“Tampa Bay will always be a special place for Mike Evans, and his respect and gratitude for the organization and its fans will never change.”
The 32-year-old wide receiver is the only player in NFL history to start his career with at least 1,000 receiving yards in 11 consecutive seasons. That streak was snapped this past year when he was limited to only eight games due to injuries. He had 30 catches for 368 yards and three touchdowns.
Evans is a six-time Pro-Bowl selection who helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV. During that four-game postseason run, he had 11 receptions for 204 yards and two TDs.
Evans played in 176 career regular-season games for Tampa Bay, hauling in 866 catches for 13,052 yards and 108 TDs. In 10 career postseason contests, he has 52 receptions for 801 yards and six TDs.
The Bucs released a statement earlier today:
“Saying goodbye to a legend such as Mike Evans is never easy, but today we are filled with appreciation and gratitude for all that he did during his extraordinary 12-year career as a Buccaneer. Our goal was always to ensure that Mike would play his entire career as a Buccaneer, but as we got further in the process it became clear he was looking for a new challenge.
“… When the time comes, we look forward to gathering once again to honor his many accomplishments and celebrate his eventual Hall of Fame career.”
FanDuel has San Francisco with 19/1 odds to win Super Bowl LXI. Those are the 11th-shortest odds on the board. The book has the 49ers with +340 odds to win the NFC West behind the Seahawks (+130) and Rams (+150).
FanDuel has Tampa Bay with 50/1 odds to win Super Bowl LXI. The Bucs are +165 ‘chalk’ to win the NFC South.