Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans instilled Saturday, Sept. 9th, as the deadline for any deal on a long-term contract extension with the team.
That deadline went without Evans signing a deal, meaning he will play the final year of his contract with no long-term security.
However, the Buccaneers reportedly do not plan to trade their longtime wide receiver during the season despite the failure to reach a new deal and inherent interest in Evans from other teams.
NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo detailed the Buccaneers’ thinking during a Sunday appearance on NFL GameDay Morning.
“Teams are gonna smell blood in the water, already circling around to see if maybe Tampa would part with Evans,” Garafolo said on NFL Network. “But I’m told in no uncertain terms that they have told all teams that we are not interested in trading Evans.”
Evans played collegiately with the Texas A&M Aggies, where he was a consensus All-American. The Buccaneers selected him with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He is a one-time Super Bowl champion, four-time Pro Bowler and one-time second-team All-Pro.
And for now, it appears that Evans will play perhaps his last season with the team that drafted him. The NFL trade deadline might be worth watching, and if not, this offseason could be very intriguing.
[NFL.com]
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