Mike Evans to return for year 13, but will it be with Tampa or somewhere else?
It is now officially the franchise tag phase of the NFL offseason. Teams are now getting ready to make a final decision on which one of their upcoming free agents they wish to retain for another season, in case a new contract cannot be agreed upon.
Each year in the offseason, there are several notable players set to become free agents, and this time, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be on the verge of losing one of their long-time stars, wide receiver Mike Evans.
Evans, a 12-year veteran who has played with the Buccaneers throughout his NFL career, is expected to be back for year 13, but as per his agents, he is ready to explore the market in free agency.
In this article, we will take a look at the leading destinations for Evans for the upcoming season. The table below provides the odds for Mike Evans’ next team for the 2026-27 NFL season. Odds sourced via Bookies.com.
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Mike Evans to Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+200)
First and foremost, the Buccaneers remain the betting favorites to re-sign Evans. The 32-year-old receiver was drafted by Tampa with the 7th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, and since then has played for the same franchise up until now.
Over the years, Evans has become the cornerstone of the offense as season after season, he continued to produce at a high rate. In fact, during the 2024 NFL season, Evans tied the legendary Jerry Rice as the only two players to record 11 consecutive seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards.
Prior to the start of that same season, Evans agreed to a 2-year, $41 million contract, making him a prospective free agent for multiple teams this upcoming season. That being said, while Evans may be considering the possibility of playing his football elsewhere, if the Buccaneers can find a way to pay him the right amount of money, there is no real reason for the veteran wide receiver to look for pastures new.
Mike Evans to Kansas City Chiefs (+400)
In the event that the Bucs and Evans are unable to agree to a new contract, the Kansas City Chiefs are the surprising favorites to land the reliable pass catcher. Generally speaking, the Chiefs do not like to sign players on the other side of 30, but Evans could instantly upgrade the Chiefs’ receiving room.
The Chiefs’ wide receivers have underperformed over the last couple of seasons, along with tight end Travis Kelce, who may even retire before the start of the next season. Patrick Mahomes has had very little help in the aerial game, with injuries and suspensions also hindering progress.
In Evans, the Chiefs could get a solid and reliable receiver who, despite his down year due to injury, is still one of the best at his position. Additionally, Evans’ ability to reel in contested catches would also be a welcome bonus.
With (+600) odds as per Bookies.com, the Baltimore Ravens come in as the next best team for Evans. The veteran receiver could potentially add a lot of value to the Ravens’ receiving core, as most of the offensive production through the air relied on Zay Flowers last season.
While Flowers had over 1,100 receiving yards, the next best pass-catcher for Baltimore was tight end Mark Andrews, who had just 422 yards worth of receptions. If the Ravens land Evans, his role on the outside could help Flowers operate more as a slot receiver, where he excels most.
Furthermore, Baltimore’s offense could surge with the addition of Evans on the team, as the backfield consists of Derek Henry, while 2-time MVP Lamar Jackson offers dual-threat variety as well.
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Mike Evans to Buffalo Bills (+700)
Mike Evans’ next destination, as per the odds, is quite interesting: the Buffalo Bills. The Bills spent the last season with Khalil Shakir as their number one receiver. He finished the season as the leading receiver on the team with just 719 yards.
Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer were the remaining top receivers, finishing with 404 and 303 receiving yards, respectively. However, Buffalo relied heavily on their tight end duo of Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid in the pass-catching game.
Now, with a new head coach in town, perhaps he could be a good fit as not only an experienced head in the receiving room, but quite a reliable one as well. Furthermore, having the 2024 MVP, Josh Allen, throwing balls to him would be another positive.
Mike Evans to New England Patriots (+900)
The fifth option for Evans, as per the odds are the New England Patriots. The Super Bowl LX runners-up had quite the first year under head coach Mike Vrabel. The former Titans coach turned the franchise around in his first season in charge.
In the process, Vrabel was able to drastically improve the performance of second-year signal caller Drake Maye. While Maye led the team brilliantly through the air and on the ground with his dual-threat ability, the Patriots could still use a polarizing figure at receiver. A tandem of Evans paired alongside Stefon Diggs would certainly be a massive boost for Maye and the Patriots.
Having played 12 years of professional football with the Buccaneers, there is still a good possibility that Evans returns to Tampa. However, if he truly wishes to test the open market as a free agent, he should not have much trouble securing a favorable deal, especially since he can still add plenty of value to any team in need of help at the wide receiver position.
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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!
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