NFL Rumors: 5 teams that fit Mike Evans’ free agency demands
NFL Free Agency is set to feature a bevy of wide receivers but none are more impactful than Mike Evans who has been a mainstay for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the last decade.
The 30-year-old has quietly been one of the best receivers in football since debuting back in 2014, posting at least 1,000 yards in each season and looking like a future Hall of Famer. This past season Evans remained as good as ever despite going from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield as his quarterback, recording 79 receptions for 1,255 yards and a league-leading 13 touchdowns, helping the Bucs make a surprise run to the NFC Divisional Round.
Evans appears to be seriously considering leaving the Bucs as the two sides did not agree to an extension in February. With what his agent told Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report that his demands are, Evans' time in Tampa Bay might be over completely.
“Mike wants to play with an elite quarterback in an offense that will showcase him — and be paid like a top wide receiver. He doesn’t want to play with a rookie QB. Winning a Super Bowl is a key priority.”
As good as Baker Mayfield was this past season, he's not an elite quarterback by any measure. With that in mind, these five teams make a whole lot of sense for the impending free agent.
5. The Packers could use a veteran receiver like Mike Evans
The Green Bay Packers made a surprising run to the NFC Divisional Round, squeaking into the postseason as the seventh seed in the NFC and then upsetting the Cowboys on the road before losing a hard-fought game to the eventual NFC Champions. A big reason for that was the ascension of Jordan Love.
In his first full season as a starter Love certainly had his ups and downs, but he finished the year looking like an elite quarterback. In his final eight regular season games, the 25-year-old completed 70.25% of his passes for 2,150 yards and 18 touchdowns compared to just one interception. Love led Green Bay to a 6-2 record in those games, and played extremely well in Dallas as well in his playoff debut before a bit of a clunker in San Francisco.
The Packers are a team that should only get better as Love continues to improve, and could use a star receiver like Evans to help them get to where they want to go. Their leading receiver this past season was Jayden Reed who had just 793 yards. Evans nearly doubled his yards output despite having Baker Mayfield as his quarterback and Chris Godwin on the other side.
Adding Evans to a receiver room consisting of Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Christian Watson would be something to behold and can potentially put Green Bay into the same class as the NFC's elite. If Evans considers Love elite, the Packers have a lot to offer.