Mike Evans’s tenure with the Bucs was about to end as his contract with the team expired. However, the Bucs retained the WR by offering him a two-year extension. Evans also accepted the offer because of his wife.
Last week, it was confirmed that he finally signed a contract with a base value of $41 million. But now some new restructuring of his contract has come to the surface, which reveals the Bucs’ draft plans.
Mike Evans’ re-structured contract details
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made sure to prevent Mike Evans from hitting free agency by offering him a two-year extension. Now, the team has also restructured his contract to make the team more financially stable.
Greg Auman of Fox Sports confirmed the news sharing that the team will convert a big chunk of the WR’s roster to create more than $17 million in salary cap space.
Greg Auman further explained this new contract situation, stating that the new version aligns better with the team’s cap strategy.
“This is correct, though the new version of the Evans contract is what always made sense from a cap standpoint. Original was framed for non-cap accounting purposes, just in terms of whether money was paid out in 2023 league year vs. 2024.”
He noted that the original contract of Mike Evans was framed for non-cap accounting purposes, but the new version follows the standard framework used in most Buccaneers’ contracts.
“So there’s technically a cap savings, but only against the original framework of the deal, which was never intended to be the final version of the contract. It’s now framed the same way most of Bucs’ contracts are,” added Auman.
The team has made a strategic move that helped them save cap space and also retain the talented WR. Mike Evans is expected to be a great addition to the Bucs for the 2024 season.
Mike Evans signing shows Bucs draft plans
While many NFL teams focused on signing new talents to their roster, the Bucs chose to continue with their own players. The team re-signed multiple players in free agency including the QB Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Antoine Winfield Jr., Lavonte David, and Chase McLaughlin.
Jordan Whitehead has returned to the Bucs, and Ben Bredeson and Sua Opeta are expected to bolster the team’s offense. These moves indicate that the team has focused on improving safety, cornerback, linebacker, and interior line depth through their free agency signings and draft picks.
The team’s current moves suggest that their primary draft plan is to retain their current players while also preparing thoroughly for the upcoming NFL Draft to address roster gaps. They have aligned their draft strategy with their needs at weak positions on the team.
So far, the team has executed its strategy strategically, and based on their recent moves, they appear ready to make impactful draft selections. This approach will strengthen the team’s roster for the upcoming season, ultimately improving their performance.
