“A Huge Look-In-The-Mirror Moment For The Buccaneers Organization”
March 12th, 2026
“Jason, you think Mike would still be here if we brought Antonio Brown back from the football grave?”
Why is Mike Evans no longer a Bucs receiver? There are more than a couple of reasons.
It starts with the Bucs only signing Evans to a two-year contract two years ago when he publicly said he wanted to be “Buc For Life.” Then the Bucs seemingly ignored Evans’ comments about 13 months ago when he said he wasn’t sure if he’d be retired from the NFL in 2028. Yes, 2028.
Many decisions also happened to push Evans out the door in the wake of the January 2025 playoff loss to the Commandos. They led to Evans waving goodbye to the only NFL home he knew because he didn’t think the Bucs were serious about or capable of competing for a Super Bowl. That’s the summation from WTSP-TV, Channel 10 sports anchor Evan Closky. He says the decisions all added up — from decison-makers in the highest office suites at One Buc Palace right down to the assistant coaches.
In a damning yet sober breakdown of reasons Evans might have left, Closky called out the Bucs organization for hurting the team and souring the greatest offensive player the Bucs ever drafted to a point Evans preferred a pay cut — and paying taxes through the nose in California taxes — to get away from the Bucs and have a chance to play in another Super Bowl.
Closky played clips of Evans speaking after he signed his last Bucs contract, including Evans professing his love for the Bucs and the Tampa area.
Some 14 months later, it’s costing Evans millions to play elsewhere. What happened?
The Bucs organization pushed Evans out the door, Closky said.
No, they didn’t actually tell Evans to take a hike. Closky noted several ill-advised decisions kept chipping away Evans’ love of the team and confidence the Bucs could win until Evans couldn’t tolerate putting on a Bucs uniform again.
Closky suggested the Bucs better look in the mirror and study what chased Evans out (and probably other players, too) to assess their errors and determine how they will return Tampa Bay to a status where free agents actually want to play here again.
Closky has done a lot of good work in his years at WTSP. He may struggle to top this.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is old school sports journalism.
When Mike Evans signed his contract in 2024, he said he wanted to be a Buc for life.
In January of 2025, he said he made the right decision.
14 months later, he's gone.
My commentary on Mike's departure & why it's concerning he left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. pic.twitter.com/YKcdBPt0zR
— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) March 10, 2026
March 12th, 2026 at 8:04 am
“Many decisions also happened to push Evans out the door in the wake of the January 2025 playoff loss to the Commandos.” 3rd and 28 / 4th and 1. thanks Todd aka defensive guru.
March 12th, 2026 at 8:08 am
A clown for a coach, a dolt for a GM, and clueless owners. Shanahan, Lynch, Bowles, Licht. Not a hard decision.
March 12th, 2026 at 8:08 am
There’s one big reason and it’s waddling up and down the sidelines in between 4 hour Golden Corral sessions.
3rd and 28!
March 12th, 2026 at 8:09 am
a great commentary. the glazers are ignorant.
March 12th, 2026 at 8:12 am
The defense (bowels) is what made him decide to leave, why put so much effort into the same thing every year?
March 12th, 2026 at 8:15 am
*4th and 14*
March 12th, 2026 at 8:17 am
Why is everything a 1 year deal now when bringing outside
guys in? Seems like an easy way to overpay and the lose them the next year when they want to make more
March 12th, 2026 at 8:21 am
It’s a shame, to be sure. Just for the record though, many HOF players left their “original” teams to play elsewhere late in their careers. We have to accept that, while he’ll always be a Buc in most fans’ eyes, football is a business. He’s moved on. We will too some day.
Drafting Egbuka was the proverbial “writing on the wall.” There was no way they were going to retain all those WRs. I hope they have a good plan.
March 12th, 2026 at 8:24 am
Can someone please tell me what’s so great about Shanny? Yes he is better than Bowles, but he also chokes in every big moment he has had— he was a coach that blew a 27-3 lead in the Super Bowl, he also scored 6 points against a Seattle team that Tampa beat.. he has won zero championships with nothing short of great rosters
March 12th, 2026 at 8:27 am
Another bad season coming up! It amazes me how dumb this ownership is they like Bowles so much they are willing to be the laughing stock of the NFL and they think players want to come play for him. He has shown nothing in his whole career that says he should have been kept on after that collapse this season. Stupid starts at the top
March 12th, 2026 at 8:29 am
bad coaches bad quarterback 2 biggest reasons no hope of superbowl
March 12th, 2026 at 8:30 am
This is a playoff team
And l guarantee you, we will make the playoffs
It’s time to focus on the draft, not EX players
March 12th, 2026 at 8:31 am
Last Sunday we switched to day-Licht “savings” time. The country skipped 2AM; the Bucs will skip 2026.
March 12th, 2026 at 8:32 am
Until the Glazers sell, Licht and Bowles are canned, nothing will change here.
March 12th, 2026 at 8:33 am
What Hodad said.
March 12th, 2026 at 8:34 am
Bucsfanman, “football is a business”. True, but it’s apparent Mike didn’t leave the Bucs for buisness reasons. (He’ll have a lower annual salary and higher taxes.) He left because he wanted a chance to compete for another SB. He didn’t think the Bucs have a chance of reaching the SB. SAD!
March 12th, 2026 at 8:35 am
“Closky suggested the Bucs better look in the mirror and study what chased Evans out (and probably other players, too)”
Name one other player who has left that the Bucs wanted to keep…
J. Dean? They didn’t want him back.
L. Hall? They didn’t want him back.
And I know it’s hard for some of you to understand – but I don’t believe the Bucs wanted Mike Evans back…
This team needed to rebuild it’s defense this off-season and overpaying ME13 was not in the teams best interest.
Boyz to Men said it best – “It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.”
March 12th, 2026 at 8:35 am
Bucs are a cheap organization and they’re ok with being mediocre.
March 12th, 2026 at 8:37 am
Just material for 49ers fans to say Bucs fans are whinny about losing Evans.
It happens lets move on he aint coming back.
How can we be good now?
Real answer is we can’t, just average as always.
March 12th, 2026 at 8:38 am
I’ve been saying it for years. When you lose at home to a rook in the playoffs WITH a healthy Mike Evans, you’re not a good team. Then you give extentions to the QB and HC that lead to the loss then that means you’re not serious about winning.
Mike left because of Licht, Bowles and Baker. Go back and watch that Miami game. Baker overthrew balls to Mike and you could see him cussing up a storm on his way to the Bucs sideline. Plus he got what, 2 targets in the last game…a must win game.
The leaders of this aren’t good and Mike wants a chance to win. Now he’s with a QB that can actually take a team to the SB.
March 12th, 2026 at 8:38 am
This team is going nowhere except back to the lost decade. The ownership hurt this team by keeping the head coach which cost them the greatest offensive player in team history. I always liked Jason light but he’s hurting the team as well with never wanting to spend money on top tier free agents and bargain shopping and just relying on the draft and they cannot draft edge rushers that are worth a damn it seems like the only position he is good at drafting is offensive lineman. I feel the team is in for having a lot of empty seats in that stadium this year and next off season they should clean house from the general manager down and start over they should have plenty of salary cap room next year and top 5 pick in the draft
March 12th, 2026 at 8:54 am
Exactly how I feel. That includes First and Foremost my Fandom. Whats the point in believing in an organization whom is Clearly NOT into winning. Tired of it from top to bottom. Been pounding the drum and literally Screaming “Don’t Quit on the Fans Glazers!!!” FOR THREE YEARS STRAIGHT! Get rid of this horrible losing man that is Far Better suited to lose it all! (Bowles) AND he most CERTAINLY DID starting in year number ONE by COMPLETELY throwing away our ENTIRE WINNING PHILOSOPHY! AND “I MEAN ALL OF IT!”
Bozo not only had No Clue how to win (after Proving he’s the Ultimate Loser two years prior with the jets) The “GLAZERS” Forced his losing game play apon us ALL, AND… PSSD on ALL of our legs with the That Fool, and told us ALL “Not to look at the man behind the curtain”, because it’s merely RAINING!
The GLAZERS have done this. They have done this TO THE ENTIRE FANDOM! They do not deserve this team nor it’s fans, and Especially Not the Money that HAS POLUTED THEIR MINDS!
Nice guys? To who? Not ME and NOT YOU!
I’m ABSOLUTELY WITH MIKE! He has shown us ALL (Especially the BLIND with their Rosey Colored glasses) the correct path. “SINCE” THE GLAZERS have forced this Lousy Lame Duck apon us AGAIN…., After the man LITERALLY LOST THE ENTIRE TEAM, it’s Proof Positive that they Simply DON’T DESERVE! PERIOD!
I still support Joe Buc Fan (My Favorite). Feel very bad for them. They don’t deserve this either. It was Gutsy Enough just to attempt a fan blog for the laughing stocks of ALL OF SPORTS in the first place and try HARD to make a living with such slim pickings… And for the Glazers to have crippled their readership So Badly that I know it’s got to hurt! And the Joe’s Don’t Deserve this! They can only do so much BUT at least they can now “take off the kid gloves” with this supposed organization and ESPECIALLY Todd “BOZO” Bowles and Jason “delusional” Licht!
March 12th, 2026 at 8:56 am
It all came down to priorities for Evans. He was so fortunate to win a Super Bowl ring. How many players would give anything to have one. Not good enough for ME. He could have stayed in Tampa for a couple more years and become an absolute icon, respected as a pillar of this community. He and Alstott revered in the TB area. Solidified his legacy and loved for being one of the few Bucs for life. Tampa would have loved him forever and after giving so much back to this community. Nope not good enough. Not a money issue , he’s got an obscene amount of that, Swallow some pride, I guess, put up with Bowles, hope for the best from your coaches and teammates and live out your post football career here. Think of your future as the epitome of what it would mean to you, your family, and your community.
March 12th, 2026 at 8:58 am
You mean that same “Super Bowl” team that lost 41-6 in the playoffs to a team tha Tampa beat without Mike Evans????
March 12th, 2026 at 8:59 am
Dudes a competitor
The talent on the team and the person choosing the talent are mediocre.
It’s not hard to sort out
March 12th, 2026 at 8:59 am
“There are currently 326 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only 133 of them played for just one franchise during their careers” Google.
Mike won’t be in the 133 club.
March 12th, 2026 at 9:08 am
The only thing that will get me excited for next year is stealing Maxx Crosby from the raiders. Lost dean and hall and added 2 over 30 year olds on defense isnt going to move the needle on a bad defense even if the moves themselves arent horrible its just a big hole to start from losing your number 1 corner on a defense that was bad to begin with
March 12th, 2026 at 9:10 am
lets not forget the number 1 tackler on the defense was david who may retire or if he comes back isnt what he was thats your lead tackler
March 12th, 2026 at 9:12 am
Glazers kids have always been incompetent. Throw in Licht and Bowles and you have this dysfunctional, rudderless franchise. Can’t change the owners but maybe they should hire an outside firm to help them find a new GM and HC. Mike saw the writings on the wall.
March 12th, 2026 at 9:14 am
Mike Evans is gone, and it was HIS CHOICE. I think his bottom line was that he wanted to close out his career playing for a Super Bowl contender, and that’s not the Bucs right now. Fine, time for us to move on; Evans is a 49er now.
Starting in 2022 when Bowles took over as HC, the Bucs have been ‘paying off debt’ … BIG-TIME. We kept reasonable starters, but our depth has gotten worse & worse. And when the injuries piled up, that killed us. We all know that because we lived it.
Retaining Todd Bowles as our 2026 HC didn’t seem to make a whole bunch of sense after we went 8-9 last season & missed the playoffs. We ended the year in a tailspin (2-7) after starting off red-hot (6-2). That overall level of performance cost Jon Gruden his job, and Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano, Lovie Smith & Dirk Koetter theirs with the Glazers as owners. Yet not Bowles.
I can only conclude that the Glazers didn’t see anyone who they really liked to replace him. Or maybe they asked a couple of quality HCs and got a polite ‘No thank you’. Maybe they decided that they needed 1 more year to clear CAP space, and that Todd gave them the best chance of having a near-break-even season. None of us are privy to the inner sanction at 1 Buc Palace so we’ll never know for sure what their strategic plan is.
In any event, it appears they’ve opted to get rid of a couple of high-cost guys this year (Evans, Dean). I keep waiting to see which high-cost players they’re restructuring to make more CAP available to ‘buy’ free agent help, but they haven’t done that. After paying for Cade Otton ($10 mil) & Sean Tucker ($3.5 mil), Bucs are now MINUS $0.5 mil in the salary CAP hole … ranked #29 in the NFL. And that’s BEFORE we pay for Gainwell ($7 mil/yr), Browning , Anzalone ($8.5 mil/yr) & Robinson ($10 mil/yr). We’ll have to restructure 2-3 high-cost players just to meet the salary CAP limits, but it’ll be interesting to see who we decide to keep.
March 12th, 2026 at 9:16 am
I don’t know why the Bucs are afraid to sign Mike to along term contract. They could of signed him back in 24 to a four year contract where there was no guaranteed money in the last 2.
March 12th, 2026 at 9:17 am
Drafting emeka may have been an issue too
March 12th, 2026 at 9:17 am
😂bowels.
There’s your answer.
March 12th, 2026 at 9:19 am
THE FEW STARS YOU HAVE ARE NOT GOING TO STAY IF YOU CONTINUALLY SIGN SUBPAR PLAYERS IN POSITIONS OF NEED.
March 12th, 2026 at 9:20 am
Evans lost faithful in his HC/ Defensive scheme and GM not willing to make moves to win.. they were satisfied with the superbowl Brady won, and decided that’s it.
March 12th, 2026 at 9:21 am
“I keep waiting to see which high-cost players they’re restructuring to make more CAP available to ‘buy’ free agent help, but they haven’t done that. After paying for Cade Otton ($10 mil) & Sean Tucker ($3.5 mil), Bucs are now MINUS $0.5 mil in the salary CAP hole … ranked #29 in the NFL. And that’s BEFORE we pay for Gainwell ($7 mil/yr), Browning , Anzalone ($8.5 mil/yr) & Robinson ($10 mil/yr). We’ll have to restructure 2-3 high-cost players just to meet the salary CAP limits, but it’ll be interesting to see who we decide to keep.”
This is why it puzzles me as to how this fan base thought we’d be out-bidding teams willing to pay top money for scratch and dent model FAs.
March 12th, 2026 at 9:22 am
maybe the Glazers keeping Fred Flintstone Licht and Toilet Bowles has something to do with Epstein ?
March 12th, 2026 at 9:28 am
Defense Rules, the Bucs did inquire about Harbaugh but were told that he wanted his own GM, which was allegedly a deal breaker as tge Glazers like Jason but Harbaugh then signed with the Giants for a king’s ransom so the Glazers did try to get Harbaugh but he said no…. Bowles is on thin ice perhaps Baker as well.
March 12th, 2026 at 9:30 am
This is an ownership group that signed up to Greg Schiano, Lovie Smith, and Dirk Koetter. They clearly did not learn any useful lessons from the Brady era, and have allowed themselves to be bamboozled by Bowles. The current coach’s inability to adjust and to maximize talent is obvious to everyone except ownership. His poor game management and conservative approach cost multiple wins last year. The Glazers misplaced loyalty to Todd cost them Liam Coen and Mike Evans.
If we have learned anything in the last decade, it’s that bad ownership begets bad football. Look at the Jets, the Browns, the Raiders. Look at the Commanders when they finally got rid of Dan Snyder. How is the ownership-by-committee approach the Glazer family any better?