Ira Kaufman Addresses All Layers Of The Mike Evans Departure (The Obvious & The Hidden), New Signings, Todd Bowles Bashing, And Much More
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March 12th, 2026 at 12:28 am
Todd Bowles deserves a lot more bashing than he’s getting. He alone is why Mike Evans took less money to play for a noddle arm QB. Mike saw 3rd and 28, 4 consecutive years of swoons and regression. He’d seen enough. Go Mikey. Prosper.
March 12th, 2026 at 1:45 am
You’re the man Sage but 86% of your takes on tonight’s podcast made you sound like you’re Bowles’ agent.
March 12th, 2026 at 9:02 am
Meme and old Junebug sure enjoy our favorite podcast. Good to hear you guys reasoned opinions in the midst of a calamitous week. Oh, no calamity here. Just lost a hall of fame receiver and don’t know why. Oh, that’s right, a challenge. Mike needed a challenge. Steve is right, waited too long to resign Mike. Might turn out to be a blessing. Sage is feeling it- anybody should know that our front seven isn’t NFL caliber. Bucky is a wild card at the moment, true. But continuity on the offensive line is key. I remember Evans dropped a pass that would have given us a 17-0 lead against the Ravens a couple years ago. Pulled his hamstring was the excuse. Against Detroit last year dropped a perfect bomb because he cracked a collarbone. Then we had a second year receiver who got his neck broken in a preseason game and held onto the ball. Godwin absolutely is back to peak. Egbuka is excellent. Excellent. Tez is excitement personified. Otten has been underrated from the get-go. And a new pass catching running back who just last year was Steelers MVP. And Bucky is a great receiver. You guys were split on whether you wanted Mike to have a big year. I’ll help with the tie breaker. NO! I hope he drops everything. But I’m sure not worried about having the weapons to beat anyone on our schedule. And I’m convinced that none of you guys still don’t quite know what we have in Baker Mayfield. Tampa is gonna find out who the real Baker is soon. Same guy he’s always been. Just that his new team needed some culling. When just a player or Two isn’t all in, it’s a disaster for the ultimate team game. I’m bullish on this team and I’ve got a sneaking feeling we’re gonna shock the league. Not just this year. For the next several years, at least. And if one of you guys get a chance could you ask Baker if he’s been approached about an extension? Thanks for a great show.
March 12th, 2026 at 9:21 am
2 minutes in lol
March 12th, 2026 at 11:35 am
Interesting that the Glazers aren’t more a part of the conversation about Mike leaving and seeming overall lack of FA interest in coming to Tampa. There’s a reason the players gave them a D+, yet that seems to be completely overlooked. Side note, believe SF gave ownership an A-. Things like that matter to players, and their families as well.
March 12th, 2026 at 11:38 am
Also think the general malaise that’s developed around this franchise since Bowles took over has started to really show as well. Glazers failure to notice & respond accordingly is taking this franchise back to it’s previous depths if they don’t act next off-season.
March 12th, 2026 at 12:48 pm
Man cant be disagreed with without blowing up on Ira.. embarrassing..
There’s very little talent. No coach in the league would’ve won a superbowl with that roster.
March 12th, 2026 at 1:51 pm
It was great to hear the passion from Lee when Ira was trying to get him going.
Ira is still on the Pom Pom waiving crew for Bowles.
If he truly believes the issue is with the talent level, then Ira needs to go both barrels on Licht.
This milk toast middle of the road crap is why we find ourselves driving a 67 Pinto that was a 2020 Lamborghini.
You can’t have it both ways. Fire Bowles and Licht Now!!!
March 12th, 2026 at 2:28 pm
Enjoyed the podcast. If I was Ira I’d tell Lee to take a hike after he threatened to leave. Lee goes that because he has no credible thoughts. When he said this is a superbowl roster I literally almost stopped my vehicle in the middle of the road.
This isn’t even a playoff roster. IRA knows football and I think is fair in his assessments while Lee hatred of Bowles cloud his judgement to the point he can’t be objective anymore.
Signing Evans to three years at wr 1 money while over paying Godwin would have been horrible.
This is Baker team now and Bowles is going do it his way with his philosophy and his defense. We are a 7 win team if we go 7-10 Baker and Bowles era is over!
If we win 8 games ir more with a young roster lots of rookies on defense we will resign baker and Bowles and stay with the Buc plan sign our own free agents and build through draft.
I would never ever count out Baker Mayfield!
Like I said it’s his time it’s his team it’s his franchise now he is the face of buccaneer football.
I hope you replace Lee at some point Ira you deserve alot more respect on your own podcast.
March 12th, 2026 at 2:55 pm
Wr room is fine without Mike keeping Mike wasn’t going to make the bucs a contender but if you are gonna call strikes he is old and it was a good time for both parties to move on.
March 12th, 2026 at 4:32 pm
To me, the best players were not getting the majority of the plays. I will never forget how White got a 20-yard run, and then Bucky got (all?) of the next plays. Mike didn’t get many. If he was so covered, then why wasn’t that fixed? I could go on. I saw it way too many times. I hardly want to talk about it. I do not know if that was Bowles or Grizzard, but I never want to see it again.
March 12th, 2026 at 6:46 pm
People say there is not enough talent to win. Yet everyone knows that excellent coaching makes average players good and good players great. Just take a look at Belicheck and the players he brought in that became excellent. bill walsh too and many others. How does McCollum go from being excellent one year to being lousy the next? Same with Devin White. Coaching makes average players a huge difference. If it didn’t, teams would t have so many coaches and assistants wouldn’t be so coveted. Anyone who says the Bucs have no talent is simply making excuses for poor coaching
March 12th, 2026 at 6:55 pm
Ira totally dodge the question of compensation. Evans crossed the country for a lot less money for a presumably better organization with no guarantees of a playoff game (toughest division in the NFL). This is an indictment of the entire organization – from the owners, to the GM to the coaching. Ira talks about Jerry Rice leaving 49ers as if it was the same thing. WRONG! 49ers didn’t want to pay Rice so he left. Just the opposite. The more I listen to Ira the more I hear a guy who is a homer for the ownership and the coach
March 14th, 2026 at 8:56 am
Bottom line the 9ers play in a great division and still compete for superbowls. We play in a hot garbage division and can’t even win it let alone make a deep run. Mike has made enough money he wants to win another ring or at least make it to the Super Bowl to solidify his hall of fame candidacy. He knows on the 9ers he will easily be their best receiver and be in the spotlight. Here in Tampa with younger talented blood like McMillan and Egbuka he’s not necessarily the highlight anymore with his age. That’s my 2 cents