Bruce Arians Will Be “Very, Very Shocked” If Mike Evans Wants To Leave Tampa
March 2nd, 2026
Joe has long believed it’s highly likely Mike Evans re-signs with Tampa Bay.
But Bucs officials attending the NFL Scouting Combine last week would not go there publicly.
Todd Bowles and Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht did several interviews and expressed no confidence that Evans would be re-signed. Their steady company line was that Evans earned the right to test free agency, the Bucs have clear lines of communication with Evans’ agent, and everyone knows the Bucs want Evans to return.
However, Licht was adamant on the Ira Kaufman Podcast that Evans truly loves his teammates, and he said Evans deeply understands the Bucs’ strong talent pool and the team’s plan to return Tampa Bay to postseason glory.
On Saturday, Licht’s “senior advisor,” Bruce Arians, was less guarded about the Bucs’ likelihood of re-signing Evans. Arians is not sweating it and he wasn’t shy about saying it.
Arians joined Outspoken on SportsGrid TV and was asked by host Dan Sileo about the challenge the Bucs might have re-signing Evans.
“I don’t think it’s very tough [to re-sign Evans.] I mean, it’s just a matter of just meeting somewhere in the middle,” Arians said.
“You know, Mike loves Tampa; Tampa loves Mike. Chris Godwin went through this last year and was actually rehabbing more so than Mike is. I think [Evans] earned the right to check the market and then bring the market back. I’d be very, very shocked if he wanted to leave. All the parties just got to come to a good agreement.”
Arians’ take on Evans’ situation is how Joe steadily has understood it since Baker Mayfield expressed confidence Evans would return five weeks ago.
The free agency dinner bell rings next Monday at noon.
March 2nd, 2026 at 4:35 pm
Mike saw first hand why he’ll never win another SB in Tampa.
Bruce’s hand picked successor, Todd Bowles HC\DC.
He knows that nothing meaningful will change.
But he can drive his price up and go to a contender.
Bowles just flat sucks and everyone knows it.
Except for BA, JL, the Glazer kids, and Bowles himself.
March 2nd, 2026 at 4:37 pm
Thanks, Bruce. But you still suck for shoving Bowles on the owners by quitting too late for them to compete for a real coach
March 2nd, 2026 at 4:40 pm
Once Bruce left the sideline ( except for the time he picked a fight with Lattimore )…the team began to slowly but surely decline. He had the “it” factor. Bowles does not and JL thinks he does having lured Arians outta retirement. Not even JL’s AI glasses can produce similar results to the Arians Era.
March 2nd, 2026 at 4:56 pm
Would BA please leave Tampa and never return?
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:09 pm
Bowles is a fine coach just as likely to win a Super Bowl as many others. He’s already done it as a player and DC. Why not head coach? It really comes down to some creative financing so we can bring in some good, impactful free agents to fill some positions of need on the team- specifically on defense and maybe at TE. Im not a negative Nancy like some of the people on here. Boca’s have **LOADS** of talent on offense when healthy. And that really is the key. We’ve had entire position ground wiped out by injuries the last 2 seasons. That has to end and we need some luck for once!
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:10 pm
Err….Bucs. And groups.
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:21 pm
Stpetematt Says:
“Bowles is a fine coach just as likely to win a Super Bowl as many others. He’s already done it as a player and DC. Why not head coach?”
Because he sucks @$$ as a HC and as the DC at the same time.
Please name one team, just one, that would hire him as the HC if he were fired???
I’ll wait.
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:21 pm
Honestly he can just stfu too. Atp. Im sick of hearing it.
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:24 pm
He was also shocked nobody hired Leftwich as a head coach.
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:28 pm
I disagree 100%. All the issues with the defense come down to personnel. You can see it.
People vacating their zones.
Not taking correct angles.
Missing tackles.
Put great players on the defense and you get a great outcome. We’ve spent a lot of high draft capital building up our offense often at the expense of the defense. Need to switch back now for a couple of seasons. The team was a playoff caliber team this past season even with the personnel issues on defense until our offense got decimated by injuries!
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:31 pm
@Stpetematt
Which team other than the Bucs would hire Bowles as the HC?
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:35 pm
Stpetematt, so it’s all about the personnel? Who coached them? And if they’re all doing that badly, doesn’t it start at the top with the coaches?
Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:36 pm
Cleveland, Miami, Arizona, Carolina…lots of people. Seems like they are fine taking our offensive coordinators almost every year. We must be doing something right. We’re constantly in the playoffs, and beat some good teams every year. Ppl here seem to expect us to win the Super Bowl every year. There’s definitely some luck involved in being able to do that in this day and age. And our luck (with injuries and the like) has been largely bad lately. Maybe it’s karma after winning the Super Bowl again- who knows?
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:42 pm
ModHairKen Says:
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:35 pm
Stpetematt, so it’s all about the personnel? Who coached them? And if they’re all doing that badly, doesn’t it start at the top with the coaches?
Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son
you think it “starts at the top,” then at least be consistent about what that means.
Bowles has this team in the playoffs three straight seasons, won the division, and rebuilt a roster that was supposed to be in a full cap-reset rebuild after Brady. That doesn’t happen if the entire operation is incompetent.
Coaches install the system. Players have to execute it.
When a corner blows leverage, when a safety busts coverage, or when a QB throws late over the middle — that’s not a chalkboard problem. That’s execution.
And let’s not pretend every assistant who leaves suddenly becomes Bill Walsh. If players were “doing that badly,” no organization keeps winning the division. Results matter.
Criticize specific calls. Criticize situational decisions. That’s fair.
But “it all starts at the top” only works if you’re willing to credit the top when they win, too.
The cheap insults don’t move the argument forward. Football is more complex than slogans.
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:43 pm
Yeah but who’s the coach the hot two unknown offensive play callers a chance then an HC got. Name other coaches that do that.
I’ll wait lol
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:44 pm
Got*
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:49 pm
@Stpetematt
All of those teams are dumpster fires, two beat the Bucs last year and one came withing three points of beating us.
And they all have hired new Head Coaches. No team was hoping Todd would be available.
Karma has nothing to do with a losing philosophy. Bowles just sucks.
March 2nd, 2026 at 5:55 pm
Every other team wants Bowles to remain the Bucs head coach.
March 2nd, 2026 at 6:04 pm
I just named the first obvious teams that popped in my head. The fact is, Bowles knows his X’s and O’s as well as anyone in the league. And you will find many people that say the same thing. So then it comes down to personal coaching and motivation. Head coaches do little of the former and a bunch of the latter. Players love him as a coach and rank him highly. I’ve seen videos of him very fired up in the locker room so it’s not like he’s not engaged. The defense has been underperforming, but if you put Myles Garrett and a stud OLB and ILb on the team, the defense would become very formidable almost overnight. It’s primarily personnel. I mean we are starting a 5th round draft pick at ILB! Let’s look for a playoff run this coming season and a deep playoff run the following one.
March 2nd, 2026 at 6:15 pm
If Licht didnt extend an injured Godwin a few years ago then the Bucs could afford Mike right now. Smh…the pointless contracts Licht has given to coaches and players for under or nonperformance is criminal.
March 2nd, 2026 at 6:17 pm
If we don’t re-sign ME it’ll be because he doesn’t think we can win another championship in the next 2-3 years.
March 2nd, 2026 at 6:30 pm
‘Bruce Arians Will Be “Very, Very Shocked” If Mike Evans Wants To Leave Tampa’
Yo Arians, Have you SEEN the Jester allowed to pretend he is a HC!
Oh wait, you are the reason the Bucs have this tremendous problem!
March 2nd, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Step ,dont get caught up in this dull drum, these people are toxic,with perfect lives
March 2nd, 2026 at 7:10 pm
Not even worried about Evans, more worried about what Licht does on March 11th about the Bucs defensive needs. Hope the Bucs don’t overpay for Evans.
March 2nd, 2026 at 7:12 pm
Evans and Godwin could both easily have well over 1K yards this season. All it will take is offensive health. Ebuka can be right there too. Man this wr corps is in-sane. Let’s hope the O-line stays healthy so Baker has some time to hit them.
March 2nd, 2026 at 7:28 pm
Go away grifter!
March 2nd, 2026 at 8:07 pm
If mike wants to win a ring it will be somewhere else this bucs team wont be that team they are no where close to being a contender more like a pretender i expect he will be gone
March 2nd, 2026 at 8:18 pm
Its the he- man Bowles hater club!
March 2nd, 2026 at 8:33 pm
Can you imagine a team that fell apart as the Bucs did, the injuries that happened, Todd not being fired and then Mike not being signed? Fugly.
March 2nd, 2026 at 8:35 pm
John q its a business..
March 2nd, 2026 at 8:40 pm
Please Bruce, go back to your lake house in Georgia and then kindly STFU and stop “helping” the team.
You were cool, you were fun and your hats were just effing adorable.
But that time has passed and all you’re doing is diminishing your legacy.
March 2nd, 2026 at 8:40 pm
Vea gone to,No one thinking bout that also.. With this crowd can you imagine them being around in the 70’s when they couldn’t buy a win for 2 seasons !! Beer is good! Sorry Joe these people ugh!
March 2nd, 2026 at 9:56 pm
Joe, how do I search your archives? I can’t find the prompt.
March 2nd, 2026 at 10:32 pm
For the purposes of the above debate we can make everyone happy by banning adjectives. Let’s not describe what we think of Todd’s record. Let’s just describe what it is.
He’s .500 as Bucs head coach an under as Bucs and jets.
Next season the floor is likely 7 wins maybe 6 if injuries are bad again. If things go right the ceiling is 9 IMO. These projections are based on Todd’s history.
So if you’re Mike and you’re dead set on getting back to the superbowl, it’s less likely that he would want to stay if that’s the variable that counts. That’s what the folks who are down on Todd believe, which I include myself in.
And to use an adjective, I think that viewpoint is more reasonable than the folks that think that Todd is going to morph into a successful HC over the offseason.
March 2nd, 2026 at 10:53 pm
I swear I don’t know how most of you call yourselves Bucs fans.