Mike Evans Really, Really Wanted To Get Away From Bucs
March 18th, 2026
Confirmed numbers show a massive pay cut.
Athletes regularly say when they sign new contracts, sometimes with new teams, it wasn’t about the money. That statement 99 percent of the time is hogwash because it is about the money.
But Mike Evans signing with the 49ers, well, you can make a strong argument it wasn’t about the money. And now we have proof.
The creator, curator and overall guru of Pro Football Talk, the great Mike Florio, was tipped by someone with intimate knowledge of Evans’ contract about the specifics. Joe nearly hit the ceiling.
In short, Team Glazer needs an immediate meeting with football employees, from the lowest rung assistants all the way up. And Team Glazer must demand answers.
Why was Evans so peeved at the Bucs and how do you fix it? Basically, per Florio, Evans is barely making top-30 (!) receiver money, meaning he is barely making No. 1 receiver money.
Here are the full deals, per a source with knowledge of the terms:
1. Signing bonus: $12 million.
2. 2026 base salary: $1.3 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2026 workout bonus: $150,000, fully guaranteed but must be earned.
4. 2026 per-game active roster bonus: $850,000, fully guaranteed but must be earned.
5. 2027 option bonus: $12.5 million.
6. 2027 base salary: $1.5 million, guaranteed for injury at signing.
7. 2027 workout bonus: $150,000.
8. 2027 per-game active roster bonus: $850,000.
9. 2028 option bonus: $10.95 million.
10. 2028 base salary: $1.7 million.
11. 2028 workout bonus: $150,000.
12. 2028 per-game active roster bonus: $850,000.
It works out to a base package of $42.5 million. The APY is $14.167 million. That puts him near the bottom of the top 30 among receivers.
… We’re still trying to get the details of the incentive/escalator package that supposedly makes the $42.5 million deal worth “up to” $60.4 million. For now, those details remain as elusive as the basic contract details had been, for more than a week after the agreement was reached.
Then, as Florio points out, when you factor California taxes (13.3 percent) vs. Florida (zero), it makes the cheapness of the contract even more of a giveaway.
In short, it’s very safe to assume Evans clearly had zero desire to return to the Bucs and washed his hands of the organization.
Joe could understand if this was, say Devin White. But this is Evans, who the Bucs have long lauded as being such a standup guy, a model citizen and icon of the Bucs family.
There’s a reason Evans soured so much on the Bucs that he took a pay cut of millions to get away from Tampa Bay. Team Glazer needs to find the root reason and take care of it pronto. If not, the Bucs might be wooing college quarterbacks C.J. Carr or Justin Sayin in the near future, involuntarily.
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March 18th, 2026 at 10:18 am
Wow, haven’t heard this one before!
March 18th, 2026 at 10:19 am
The NFLPA survey/grade is the best angle that I can come up with. It reveals that players feel like the Bucs shortchange them when it comes to the treatment of families, travel, locker room, etc. Evans is a family man first, and it seems like the Bucs have a long way to go when it comes to creating a premier organization for the player experience from top to bottom.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:22 am
We all know why, everyone close to the organization is scared to say it because 1) they want their job, 2) they want access, or 3) the choose to be Pollyanna thinking that’s what “fans” do, rather than demanding better (Rondé, Shelton, etc.)
March 18th, 2026 at 10:23 am
Reason: Bowles isn’t ever going to take a team to the Superbowl.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:25 am
Maybe you’re next article can be “Evans Really Really Really Wanted Out”
The obsession is real.
I cant wait for the regular season where everytime Evans makes a catch, Joe will write an article about it.
Excellent content
March 18th, 2026 at 10:27 am
The Glazers still have not come out with any public statement explaining their decision to retain a head coach with a .500 record as well as a DC with a bad defense. Probably because the decision is inexplicable.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:27 am
3rd and 28 and please let’s not bring up Mike anymore…
March 18th, 2026 at 10:28 am
Glad that we get our Evans article early in the day.
Like I said, Joe is going to keep picking at this scab as long as he has fingernails.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:29 am
Sensitive Joe again….geeez
March 18th, 2026 at 10:30 am
I think he’s pissed the Bucs drafted EE. He wants those targets for the HOF.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:31 am
Everyone knows the root cause of Mike fleeing the Bucs.
The dude who said the coaches have done everything they can.
3rd and 28 Todd.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:33 am
3rd & 28 says it all !!! as long as you continue to write about Mike Evans you cannot escape his own words !
March 18th, 2026 at 10:34 am
This sort of makes sense on face value.
But then, if you think about it, not sure it adds up.
Evans didn’t even know if he was coming back or not until maybe a month ago. Plus, all he talked about is that he wanted to win. So not sure he would be upset with a good player coming aboard.
And, Evans often talked about how much he enjoyed playing with EE and Tez. And Joe has photos of Evans laughing and joking around with EE.
So yeah, if you told Joe that Evans was peeved that the Bucs drafted EE, can certainly see that. But not sure it holds water.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:34 am
Bye Mike! Anyone who willingly hangs out with LeSean McCoy is not the person I thought he was…not at all! McCoy is *not* a good person at all.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:36 am
3rd and 28
Poor defensive play and a HD in way over his head costs the team their best WR off all time. Possibly the greatest offensive player this team had had
March 18th, 2026 at 10:38 am
The Glazers do not need to look further than themselves! Keeping Todd was the breaking point for Mike. As soon as the Bucs (Glazers and Licht) agreed to keep Todd, Mike and other Bucs players made their decisions to bolt. Honestly, I don’t blame them. My wife and I planned a trip from California to Florida for a game this season. It isn’t happening now.
3rd and 28… Let us never forget.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:41 am
Yea, we know
…and I’m actually good with it. I’m surprised at how good I am with it actually. Of course Mike made that easier.
But still will always cherish and thank him for the memories (the Mike Evans getting his 1k yards on last play of season is something unforgettable and doesn’t happen without a certain hated someone risking the season and playoffs to accomplish it) wish him well personally and he’s no doubt a future HOF’er.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:41 am
Damn right Joe’s obsessed about a Hall of Fame player bolting the Bucs, especially now that we have figures to work with!
Let Joe guess: He should fully ignore the greatest drafted offensive player in Bucs history telling the team to get lost and instead write about Elijah Klein?
The reason why Joe dominates the market, and has for well over a decade, is Joe knows what he is doing.
Joe quite literally has over 63,000 stories available to read in his free archives, but you whine because Joe focuses on what very well may be a turning point in this franchise’s history?
Guess Joe should ignore the draft next month too? smh After all, it happens every year — but where’s a story about JJ Roberts!
March 18th, 2026 at 10:41 am
Licht, Bowles and Baker. The top 3 reasons Mike left. Mike is gonna ball out this season. He has plenty left in the tank. All he needs is an accurate QB and targets.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:42 am
Leftwich, Canales, Coen, Grizzard….theres 4 reasons he left. Constant turnover on offense isn’t what contending teams have.
Canales and Coen make the playoffs….Bowles doesn’t in the weakest division in the league and loses 7 of 8 when all we needed was ONE win to take the division.
3rd and 28!…..Inexcusable for the season on the line and your coach is supposed to be a defensive guru.
Poor ownership grades
Stock piling Wars when the team has obvious needs on defense and depth. Committing $20 million to Godwin when he misses an avg of 4-5 games every season and then making a last ditch effort to sign your all time best WR is a bad look.
Not extending Baker leaving uncertainty over QB position in coming years….
Can’t blame Evans for leaving and wish him well.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:42 am
“If not, the Bucs might be wooing college quarterbacks C.J. Carr or Justin Sayin in the near future, involuntarily.”
Yuck
March 18th, 2026 at 10:44 am
3rd & 28
March 18th, 2026 at 10:45 am
Evans is no longer a #1 receiver, 49’ers are going to learn it the hard way. #1’s play most of the season, #1’s bring a complete game. Evans is going to be a possession receiver, that is the 8 games that he makes a showing. I think he will be disappointed, the fans will be disappointed and management as usual will not take responsibility on relying on a part time receiver to put them over the top.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:46 am
Joe, I think you missed his point. Of course you’re not going to ignore Evan’s departure. As demonstrated by multiple articles since his departure. What he was alluding to is the fact that it seems like it will never end. Everyday multiple articles about essentially the same thing. Maybe a slightly different angle? In the service of? Keeping fans pissed as long as possible? Not sure what else it could be.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:47 am
I’m glad he is gone.
ME13 did NOT want to be in Tampa.
He is on the down slide.
But some of you idiotic MORON$ are still crying and singing the blues.
Grow the F up…
Good riddance!
Stop wasting our salary cap on these old used up players.
I am glad our GM is finally getting a clue and is able to move on without this dead weight.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:48 am
You prefer some gimmick, runaround quarterback with limited success like LaNorris Sellers over C.J. Carr or Justin Sayin?
March 18th, 2026 at 10:49 am
Thank you Joes.
The more of these articles the better. Retaining a poor performer who is in fact in charge and firing everyone else is absurd. Gllazers own the team, let’s make sure they own their mess.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:50 am
Joe Says:
March 18th, 2026 at 10:41 am
Maybe you’re next article can be “Evans Really Really Really Wanted Out”
The obsession is real.
Damn right Joe’s obsessed about a Hall of Fame player bolting the Bucs, especially now that we have figures to work with!
…..
Hey Joe, appreciate your work. Not very many media teams can churn out articles year around, that takes dedication.
What is the problem with Juaun Jennings. He would be a great replacement for Evans. Is his money too high? Plus it would be poetic justice if he came into the Bucs and balled out.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:50 am
Thanks Todd.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:52 am
I guess absence really makes the heart grow fonder .Let him go Joe. Let him go.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:53 am
This is a significant story in this franchise’s history, not just because Evans left. This is a major story and Joe has *never* practiced osterich journalism. And has zero intention of starting.
Not sure what has been a bigger story since the Bucs drafted Emeka Egbuka? You didn’t see Joe stop writing about EE, did you?
Not sure what people are suggesting unless they want Joe to go dark for the next month? That’s not exactly good for business.
And frankly, fans SHOULD be p!ssed!
March 18th, 2026 at 10:55 am
Joe, can you post what the Bucs offered Mike? maybe what San Fran was offering was better? How do you explain Mike’s reps leaking (i.e. making up) that there was a team offering 27mil?
How about posting what the other offers Mike received were worth? Oh that’s right, he had no other offers on the table.
Maybe it is as simple as Mike’s football worth is a lot more in your eyes then in the eyes of people who get paid to build NFL rosters. Deal with it
March 18th, 2026 at 10:56 am
The defense stinks! And has stunk!
(Plus Evans saw the Bucs draft potential replacements and divide up his targets.)
March 18th, 2026 at 10:57 am
There is no reason for the glazers to waste their and their assistants time setting up meaningless meetings. The team next year, under this head coach, will bottom out around 7 wins, maybe 6 if injuries are bad again and it will hit a ceiling of 9 wins. This is the case no matter what free agents they bring in and whom they draft.
That’s the reason. Simple as that.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:58 am
Evans is trash. Mr. “I want to be a Buccaneer for life” guy (at his last contract signing). He’s no better than Liam (the snake) Coen. Two peas in a pod, Benedict Arnolds, knife-in-the-back kind of guys.
March 18th, 2026 at 10:58 am
‘Mike Evans Really, Really Wanted To Get Away From Bucs’
I do not believe that is an accurate statement…
Most likely:
Mike Evans Really, Really Wanted To Get Away From one of the worst HC!
March 18th, 2026 at 10:59 am
The Bowles Effect!!!
Call it what it is. To say anything other then that is a lie.
Shame for this to happen.
Even with a coaching change Evans would probably have left the team.
If you were him and you needed to start fresh… why not with a new team.
New coach… new team… same difference.
March 18th, 2026 at 11:02 am
It is obvious he had no Faith in the Coaching staff aka Bowles. This really is not a question at this point is it?
March 18th, 2026 at 11:02 am
It all starts at the top and rolls downhill. The organization will not recover from this. It is only going to get worse. I’m waiting for Baker to ask for a trade. That is probably not likely but he must surely want out as bad as Mike did. He most certainly won’t be here next year. All the while the owners are sipping sparkling wine and snacking on matzo ball shooters. That documentary that I did not watch or care to watch is an epic embarrassment. I was hoodwinked for a period of time believing that this franchise had a solid foundation for the future. ME13 took a wrecking ball to that.
March 18th, 2026 at 11:05 am
The guy wanted to move on. Get over it
March 18th, 2026 at 11:09 am
The Bucs stink right now. Embrace it!
Buy your authentic Chris Braswell jersey. Today!
March 18th, 2026 at 11:10 am
The Buccaneers are once again the comedy show.
March 18th, 2026 at 11:12 am
Me thinks JoeEvansFan needs a brewhaha
March 18th, 2026 at 11:15 am
And the journalists like Joe who cover the Bucs also need to find out just what the story is. I’m sure you are trying, just don’t let go on it. There must be quite a story there with that much dysfunction in that team/locker room.
March 18th, 2026 at 11:23 am
Congratulation Joe! You are a true Buc fan and have exposed the “homers” in this article. These jerks that trash Evans like Edgar Berry and Marinebuc, remind me of some drunk in a bar saying to a stranger, “I dunno why she left me. I only hit her twice.”
The fact that we could not keep our best offensive player in past ten years because he wanted to leave so badly that he is throwing away millions of $$ is a BIG story and demands answers like wanting to know why we go to war.
The pathetic morons nod their heads and say, “Don’t bring up unpleasant news are exposed.. Carry on, this is the best article you have written about the mess. Too bad the Glaziers don’t read your site. They could save a lot of time by hearing “3rd and 28” echos.
March 18th, 2026 at 11:24 am
Joe Says:
March 18th, 2026 at 11:09 am
The guy wanted to move on. Get over it
The Bucs stink right now. Embrace it!
Buy your authentic Chris Braswell jersey. Today!
* * *
Golden … 🙂
March 18th, 2026 at 11:24 am
“So yeah, if you told Joe that Evans was peeved that the Bucs drafted EE, can certainly see that. But not sure it holds water.”
Didn’t pout when we brought in DJax
Didn’t pout when we drafted Chris Godwin
Didn’t pout with Perrimans’ involvement in our offense from ’19-’21
Didn’t pout when we brought in AB, in fact Mike was the one trying to cool that nutjob down in the Meadowlands.
While I doubt there’s one sole big reason Mike left, I could think of a lot of other small things that amount to enough for him to had want out of TB.
Some fans have their minds made up, and use Mikes’ departure to keep on beating the same horse they’d be beating even if Mike stayed. Now, after all this time watching Evans just be cool, calm, and collected over the years he’s turned into some diva? Naaah, I can’t buy that
March 18th, 2026 at 11:29 am
Hey boys and girls out there..
– Mike Evans left the Bucs
– Cade Otton had 2 drops last year. Kept Bucs out of Super Bowl
Stay tuned. Will post this again Friday, and Sunday, and next Tuesday and Thursday.
March 18th, 2026 at 11:31 am
it’s Julian Sayin……..just sayin’
March 18th, 2026 at 11:31 am
It’s an indictment of Bowles, Licht and the Glazers.
They need to do some reflecting.
A stadium full of opposing fans is also discouraging.
3rd and 28. Was just the icing on the cake.
FIGURE IT OUT, GLAZERS!!!!
March 18th, 2026 at 11:32 am
You dont believe emeka ebuka can evolve to a number 1 receiver? We still have an excellent receiving corp. I am more mad about not signing hendrickson an excellent pass Rusher that actually wanted to be here.
March 18th, 2026 at 11:36 am
I had a girlfriend leave me for an ex boyfriend that went to prison. I have been stable my entire life. Now the newspaper says girls want stability. Just words to sell advertising imo.
People leave. You think you are set. You are not. Need more examples?
Let the man get another ring. Its not happening here
March 18th, 2026 at 11:36 am
Mike Evans is all about ME.
I don’t blame him for leaving but please stop treating him as a consummate professional.
He never was.
He was a non-traditional low key diva.
He was our best WR ever though.
March 18th, 2026 at 11:42 am
I don’t see names like Baker, Wirfs, Barton, Godwin, Otton, Ebuka, Winfield, David and Vea saying they want out because of 3rd and 28.
March 18th, 2026 at 11:43 am
LVD – Godwin – Anthony Nelson – Vita Vea – Wirfs – Winfield
that’s it – six players – the sum total of the institutional memory of the 2020 SB – – three of those players could retire soon – maybe the others could be traded – all the 2021 draftees are gone – Otton Kieft Goedeke McCollum from 2022 –
Brady came in 2020 after 3 losing seasons of befuddled Arians and Bowles –
he gifted the Bucs two glorious seasons – now he is gone and any chance of a SB went with him – his memory and influence barely remain
March 18th, 2026 at 11:52 am
The Glazers have failed miserably. Jason Licht has failed miserably. Todd Bowles has failed _____. What’s a word describing worse than miserably? That’s Bowles.
March 18th, 2026 at 11:57 am
Most of those players are under contract, save LD.
I guess they could demand a trade but I’m not sure we’d get back anything in return that would justify a move.
Now if we have 2 or 3 wins by the trade deadline this fall I could very well see vea, Godwin and AWJ on the block. Those might fetch solid 3rd or 4th round picks and maybe even a 2 from a team that’s close.
March 18th, 2026 at 12:08 pm
The only way the Glazers could “find the root reason and take care of it” is by taking a long walk off a short pier together. They are the root reason. All the rest of the things we piss annd moan about are symptoms of their ownership.
This is a moment that deserves being acknowledged and thoroughly prosecuted. Undeniable, inexcusable failure should not be brushed past. The Bucs are infected. It’s nothing new.
March 18th, 2026 at 12:16 pm
This Joe’s fire is awesome. I’d follow him to picket One Buc along with my Hugh Glazerhouse bill board idea! Keep it up Joe. Get Bowles seat even hotter!
March 18th, 2026 at 12:16 pm
If Evans had any faith in Baker, he’d still be here.
He doesn’t.
He literally said he wanted to go to a team with a QB that can win a SB – and that’s not Baker. If you don’t get that by now, you’re a dope.
March 18th, 2026 at 12:21 pm
In an alternate universe, Coach Coen led the Bucs on a deep playoff run last season and ME13 is still a Buc. Oh back to reality, there goes Coach Bowles grimacing on the sidelines while losing 7 of freaking 9 games. 3rd and 28. Go finish out your career as you deserve Mike Evans.
March 18th, 2026 at 12:25 pm
The Glazers don’t need to meet with anyone Joe except for a big giant mirror. They are the problem!!!