What Have Bucs Fans Earned?
March 9th, 2026
Bucs GM Jason Licht huddles with Team Glazer.
Over and over at the NFL Scouting Combine, Todd Bowles and Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht told the NFL world that Mike Evans earned the right to test free agency.
But what about Bucs fans. What have they “earned?”
Joe would counter that Bucs fans loved Evans long enough and strong enough to have earned the right to have the Bucs keep Evans on the team.
Is it too much to ask Licht and Team Glazer to have a fans-first mindset on arguably the greatest non-quarterback in franchise history? That’s sort of the question of the day as free agency kicks off at noon.
Will the Bucs do what they must financially to keep Evans?
The Bucs could have used the franchise tag on Evans before March 3. They passed, which may have been a very wise move. As Licht has said, respecting a player’s wishes — in this case Evans wanting to test his market — typically results in a happier player and more on-field production.
While Joe is very confident Evans will return to the Bucs in 2026, it’s not guaranteed. Team Glazer and Licht have the power to meet or exceed any offer Evans might get on the open market. Have they committed to that, if that’s what it takes?
Sage of Tampa Bay Sports Ira Kaufman believes Evans is likely the second-most popular Buccaneer of all-time behind Mike Alstott. Joe is more interested in Evans being irreplaceable in the 2026 Bucs offense.
Evans bolting Tampa would be a loss on all levels, one that collectively would sink Bucs fandom to a dark, dark place. It doesn’t have to happen.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:17 am
They have earned ManU in 3rd place in the Premier league and all that Champions league money the G Boys can spend on FA.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:24 am
Evans doesn’t make or break the offense. The team will still be mediocre
March 9th, 2026 at 9:27 am
I love Mike. Maybe my favorite Buc of all time. But I’ve grown tired of all agent talk and also the last couple of years watching Mike go to the sidelines every time he makes a catch. Im all for the Bucs offering Mike a 2 year deal around 40-50 million so that we finishes his career as a Buc. But I think JL would be making an emotional signing for anything more than that.
If a team offers Evans 25 plus million a year and he decides to bolt, Im ok eith it IF, the Bucs pivot to reloading the defense.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:29 am
Team over player always. There is a salary cap. We are grown ups. Keeping Evans means one less player we can keep or get. Decisions are tough. Trust in Licht.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:30 am
We as fans have earned the right for a quality HC and a GM that loads the team with highly valued talent. Hoarding draft picks and signing 2nd or 3rd tiered FAs will not inspire confidence and will ultimately sink the ship.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:38 am
The reason we drafted Egbuka last year was for life after Evans. That life could begin today.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:40 am
Well Joe , to answer your question, yes of course the Bucs have earned the right to see ME get tagged and remain a Buc! However, with that said, if the player is telling you despite the great offers we have heard, that he is considering other teams , that tells the fans, he has lost hope here for a champoinship. , I think the fans need to understand, myself included, his loyalities are strong, however, he just wants to end his career on a winning team and he does not see that here. Remember he went through some tough seasons here , before the Bucs turned things around. As fands we can’t blame him not wanting to end his career on a losing team.
With that said, I sure hope you are right Joe, and the others are wrong about him leaving. However, the fact he has not signed, tells me that he is not going too. I don’t see money as the issue here, a chance to win is. He paid his dues. Yes I will be super disappointed as a fan, but I get it.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:42 am
How long do we have to endure the Evansbabble?
March 9th, 2026 at 9:42 am
If/then logic time.
If the Buccaneers played a foolish game and Mike Evans walks in FA, then I will be calling for a new HC and GM if and when we fault to secure the division.
If the Buccaneers are foolish enough to let Mike Evans walk in FA, and they fail to sign Hendrickson, then I will be upset and expecting them to lose the division and expecting a new GM and HC next season.
It would be wholly inexcusable to let Evans walk and fail to sign Hendrickson. Absolutely ridiculous, unacceptable, and total malpractice of being a GM.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:43 am
Look, I’ve always loved Evans. But last year he showed a very, very noticable decline. I’m not saying he’s completely washed, but he isn’t exactly worth $20+ million anymore either. In fact I think this latest news dump is a plot to get the BUCS to overspend on him. I think there aren’t any Super Bowl contenders willing to pay him that much at his age and obvious decline. Yeah, I know teams weren’t allowed to negotiate untill today, but they obviously do it quietly well before the bell. I think his agent is panicking.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:44 am
A bit dramatic, Joe. Emotional decisions tank franchises. This fan expects the Bucs to be honest & shrewd. Fairly assess the needs of the team & spend accordingly.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:53 am
Time to fire off a poll: How much should the Bucs spend to keep Evans? 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26+
March 9th, 2026 at 9:54 am
I usually agree with most of the Joe’s takes, but this one is too “apple pie in the sky.”
I say this next remark AS A FAN: Who cares what the fans think. Do what you think is correct, management. Reap the rewards later, and we’ll thank you later, and you can tell us you “told us so” later.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:55 am
We are all watching you Jason. Better re-up your coffee and make some major moves in 2 hours. Staying passive will get you fired. Go get us real help on the D and resign Evans. We need the best available DE and ILB.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:55 am
We’ve won a lot with Godwin out….the offense collapses when Evans isn’t playing. Keep Evans and send Godwin to the Raiders for extra picks. Ship off Winfield as well….we need front seven help, Winfield isn’t wrecking game plans the way a pass rush will.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:56 am
Not a Fanboy been a Bucs fan since 1976 ..I love Evans but at a fair price. His best days are behind him and he always seems hurt when he is not hurt. He reminds me of someone with arthritis after each catch. Wish him the best if he leaves but he is not worth a ton anymore. 60rec 800yds 8tds at best not sure if that is worth 20mill.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:57 am
Baker and Godwin are hitting that cap for like 80 mil this year. Maybe a couple contract restructures will help make room to pay ME 20 mil a year
March 9th, 2026 at 9:58 am
I’m expecting Evans and/or Hendrickson to be a buccaneer. A failure on both fronts is going to show it will be a long, playoffless season.
March 9th, 2026 at 9:59 am
It seems to me that Mike’s agent is encouraging him to test the market to have some leverage against the Bucs.
March 9th, 2026 at 10:00 am
That is a horrible horrible way to run a football team. This isn’t fantasy camp where we let fans make very important business decisions based on emotion. These type of things have serious implications. Completely outrageous. Successful businesses are shrewd and forward thinking. You have to plan for the future and sometimes that involves making tough decisions a year early.
1) The Bucs want Evans the football player, and that player is a quality player who cannot be replaced in 2026.
2) Evans makes players around him better.
3) An NFL team is still an entertainment product, “overpaying” Evans by a few million by the team’s assessment should not only be viewed as good business, it’s a solid football risk.–Joe
And for all you people that may get butthurt over this comment, it doesn’t mean that I would t want Evans back for the right price. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like Evans, but this isn’t 2020. Two 20+ million dollar receivers is a luxury. It is completely mental to view ourselves as some sort of 13-4 team ready to make a run at it. It is an executives professional duty to take a SOBER look at our own roster
March 9th, 2026 at 10:04 am
300 hundred million and rising each year salary cap. Bringing Mike back is not going to hurt the team at all. You don’t get better by letting good football players go.
March 9th, 2026 at 10:06 am
I honestly don’t expect much to happen in FA. Licht, isn’t going to get aggressive. Also, I expect even much less from in the draft. Can’t wait to draft the next Braswell, JTS, SVD.
March 9th, 2026 at 10:07 am
The NFL is a business and sometimes tough decisions need to be made. Teams like the Patriots, Steelers, Bills, Eagles & Ravens are able to make those. Teams like the Bengals, Raiders, NY Giants & Jets are not. When to let someone go is tricky, but the future depends on making the right call. Levonte David played one too many years and now they want to bring him back? Decision Making 101!
March 9th, 2026 at 10:08 am
Gofortheface30. So you’re calling me “completely mental”?
March 9th, 2026 at 10:12 am
“But what about Bucs fans. What have they “earned?”” – Joe
Absolutely nothing.
March 9th, 2026 at 10:13 am
Mike will return.
As will several other players. We’ll know by Wednesday.
March 9th, 2026 at 10:15 am
Ba’s red pen: sorry but we ain’t talking Justin Jefferson here or Puka or 2018 Mike Evans. There is an inflection point for a 32 year old WR, who gets hurt often, who runs to the sidelines after every catch wincing. Let’s say another team offers 25 million. At that point the ends absolutely do not justify the means. And for all this talk about locker room leadership with Evans and Lavonte David, the players still tuned out and checked out the entire second half of the year. A Devin Lloyd roaming the middle arguably helps this team considerably more both now and the next 3-4 years
March 9th, 2026 at 10:16 am
Fans don’t make the business decisions for a football team, but the biggest most glaring mistake is keeping this HC as DC and maintaining status quo. It is obvious that the HC is limited and what he can do. Fans know that this is not a recipe for success, yet the powers that be have chose to stick with it.
March 9th, 2026 at 10:21 am
Do the Glazers regret the way Derrick Brooks retired (was retired)?
Do the Glazers (who were much younger back in the day) regret letting John Lynch or Warren Sapp leave?
Hindsight is 20/20 and I don’t know the answers, but if it’s ‘yes’ to any of the above, I’m sure they will have sway in what happens with Mike.
March 9th, 2026 at 10:35 am
Evans is a part time player, should have a contract that dictates that. Bonus money for games played after 10. If he wants to be the man in the circle, show up in the circle.
March 9th, 2026 at 10:35 am
“overpaying” Evans by a few million by the team’s assessment should not only be viewed as good business, it’s a solid football risk.–Joe
WHat??? What’s the OPPORTUNITY COST? Do you even know what that means Joe? WHat would the opportunity cost be if they overpay Evans? Let’s see if you know business or not.
Not sure it’s even possible to play “opportunity cost” in a salary cap payroll system in which players can be purchased on cap credit — with an ever-expanding cap. Regardless, if the Bucs value Evans at, say, $20 million and need to overpay him by a few million to get him, Joe finds that to be a good football risk under a cap that’s $301 million. –Joe
March 9th, 2026 at 10:36 am
I just don’t get the “sink Bucs fandom to a dark, dark place” mentality. Mike is an immortal Buc legend regardless of where he finishes out a HOF career. Just like Sapp & Lynch, it was a gift watching them play in Tampa. Them spending their last few seasons elsewhere didn’t diminish that. There are a large number of HOF’ers from other franchises that did the same, and yet they are still remembered as icons by their time at one particular club. Celebrate the fact you got to witness greatness in person, instead of wallowing in self-pity when the player makes a decision he feels is best for himself & his family.
March 9th, 2026 at 10:38 am
What Have Bucs Fans Earned?
Answer: A bumbling HC\DC and a inept GM incapable of building a roster from scratch.
Tom Brady washed the stink off many people who can no longer mask the smell of burning dog poo.
Apparently the Glazer kids don’t value their customers beyond using them as cash registers for foreign investments abroad.
March 9th, 2026 at 10:41 am
Would not Evans want as much even a little more than Godwin…. I would say that is Evans starting point.
March 9th, 2026 at 10:44 am
Kenton – I dont even know what you said, but I think using our injuries as the impetus behind our mediocre incompetence, and the players tuning out last yr is a huge crutch. The bucs were relatively healthy at the end of the year with the exception of their 2 guards. I think our overall talent, athleticism and speed is looked at through rose colored glasses. We are not at the doorstep. And while I agree with Joe a million percent that the league is an entertainment business, at some point there does need to be a line with cost benefit analysis. Can we get 17 games, can we get 1300 yards and 8-12 touchdowns. If the team does think we could make a run – would a trey hendrickson have a more material impact at a position that arguably has a more direct impact on winning and closing out games? Especially when you consider that Edge is a deficiency relative to a unit that is strong. I am merely suggesting that we (we, being the Bucs) should take an intelligent aproach to this
March 9th, 2026 at 11:00 am
The more I think about it, the more I think trading Godwin and AW jr is the play here.
Getting those 2 contracts off the books allows the team to the bring back Evans for 2 years at 40 mil, go get an edge and ILBER IN FA. This would allow the Bucs to trade DL, RB and LBer plus add some depth on oline.
March 9th, 2026 at 11:04 am
The offensive hasn’t been the problem for years now. It’s always been the defense and Todd Bowls
March 9th, 2026 at 11:05 am
I would love to see Mike stay, but I also respect the man and what he has done for this team. He has every right to do as he wishes and I wish him the absolute best, if he decides to leave. All the greats tried their hand with other teams chasing a SB ring. Lets be real, the Bucs are no where near being a SB caliber team right now. A lot of earth shattering moves and things would need to happen. Mike knows the situation and will do what is best for him and his family, which is what he should do. He has earned it!
March 9th, 2026 at 11:14 am
Some of these articles are sounding like a desperate housewife is writing them bucs will still be the bucs when Mike moves on it is not an existential crisis because a beloved player is moving on come on now it isnt the first time or the last time lol.
March 9th, 2026 at 11:18 am
No matter what noone ever cares about the players feelings.. but anyway Joe edge first today and Mix if he’s still around Rb.
March 9th, 2026 at 11:27 am
If we didn’t overpay Winfield, Godwin, and Zyon… Mike would’ve been re-signed by now.
March 9th, 2026 at 11:27 am
ME is in charge of his own destiny, not his agent, the Bucs or the fans. What he decides to do is totally on his shoulders. Whether he stays or goes could be a couple of factors but I don’t see money being 1 of them unless he gets a Don Corleone offer. His agent covered every reason under the sun but at the end of the day ME will let us know what he decides. Relax. If he goes we move forward. Remember that tomorrow is promised to no one.
March 9th, 2026 at 11:29 am
Hope. Every fan base deserves hope.
Here’s where Bucs fans are in the count for 2026.
Strike 1 – Bowles retained
Strike 2* – Evans leaves
Strike 3* – No major FA additions on D
* pitches on the way.
March 9th, 2026 at 11:33 am
At the very least we more than suffered and earned:
A Trey Hendrickson signing at noon
A M1K3 Return subsequently
The TE in Rd 1 if there
A trade up for a top ILB if necessary
March 9th, 2026 at 11:34 am
Hope David stays. We need him.
March 9th, 2026 at 11:36 am
Can we kick the tires on Derek Carr, He would be a nice upgrade!!! Let’s Go Bucs!!
March 9th, 2026 at 11:52 am
Why I’m god’s. Name would we trade a pick for Derek Carr?
March 9th, 2026 at 11:53 am
We’ve earned either Mike Evans or Trey Hendrickson. I’ll take either one, and I know which one I’d prefer. And he doesn’t wear #13.
March 9th, 2026 at 11:56 am
It is funny to me how a bunch of folks here say it is solely Mikes’ decision whether to return. If you think for even a moment that his wife Ashli does not have tremendous input on his decision , then you are just wrong. Ashli is co-founder of Mikes’ Foundation and they have four kids so I do not believe Mike is leaving.
March 9th, 2026 at 12:02 pm
Why in God’s name would we sign the little leprechaun to a 30-40mil deal, JL makes bad picks all the time, giving one up for Carr, can’t hurt.
March 9th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
The fact that the salary cap is $300 mil is almost irrelevant. As the salary cap has gone up, player salaries have increased accordingly.
Bucs finished 8-9 last season and were lucky to get 8 wins IMO. We had terrible depth and it bit us in the arse. We also had a questionable defense that needs some serious upgrades. Now’s not the time for making emotional decisions. At best we can free up about $100 mil in salary cap space to pay for about 20 players (some starters, some depth, some free agents, some rookies).
We all know what the needs are if we want a team that can compete for the NFC South championship and do some damage in the playoffs. Hopefully Jason and Todd don’t get sucked in to making emotional decisions that don’t allow us to compete in 2026.
March 9th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
“I don’t like Evans, but this isn’t 2020. Two 20+ million dollar receivers is a luxury.”
All this sounds well and good, until you realize most WRs struggle to beat doubles and we start having games in 2026 like we did in 2025.
35-50 throws, 218 yards, a TD and maybe a turnover isn’t going to get it down on a week to week basis.
We lost Mike against a bunch of backups and still couldn’t move the ball, then a week later after regrouping without Mike. Still couldn’t move the ball through the air. Mike has a value just being on the field.
Even if what he(And Godwin) provides is diminished, it’s valuable to Mayfield who isn’t the same QB when those guys are missing. Maybe not “fall off a cliff” bad, but it’s damn sure a tumble down a ravine at the least.
Sometimes you spend money and realize the value you’re investing in and not just how the raw figure effects your bottom-line.
March 9th, 2026 at 12:21 pm
A real head coach who has a separate dude who is a real defensive coordinator reporting to him.
March 9th, 2026 at 12:32 pm
Earned?
What kind of commie crap is that?