Amid an offseason of retirement chatter, Mike Evans is running it back. He’s just not sure where he’ll play in 2026. Evans’ agents, Deryk Gilmore and Darren Jones, confirmed multiple reports Tuesday that Evans intends to play in 2026. The longtime Tampa Bay wide receiver is a free agent and may not play his 13th NFL season with the Buccaneers.
“He is opening it up,” Gilmore told the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud of Evans’ free agency. … “It could be Tampa, but will definitely play a 13th season.”
Mike Evans plans to play in 2026, just maybe not with the Buccaneers.
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Evans, 32, is coming off an injury-riddled 12th NFL season that limited him to eight games, prompting speculation he would consider retiring. But Evans, who previously posted 11 consecutive 1,000-plus yard receiving seasons, remained productive when healthy and is ready to run it back for another season.
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Is Evans’ time with the Bucs done?
Evans has played his entire career with the Buccaneers as arguably the most reliably productive receiver in football. His 11 consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards are tied with Jerry Rice for the most in NFL history.
He’s been a stalwart of the franchise while catching passes through the Jameis Winston/Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tom Brady and Baker Mayfield eras as the team’s top target. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro and helped lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl title with Brady after the 2020 season.
Evans is free to sign wherever he can work out a deal as an unrestricted free agent. Whether he returns to the Bucs will come down to how much the two sides desire a reunion. He’ll surely be targeted by contenders in need of veteran receiving help.
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