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Evans’ extension became official on Friday and he addressed the media accordingly.
While the 30-year-old is set to begin his 11th and 12th seasons with the Buccaneers after resolving his extension, Mayfield’s status remains in limbo as he is destined for free agency and could very well be ready in Tampa.
Evans is hopeful that won’t be the case after he and Mayfield found almost instant chemistry. While Mayfield achieved the best statistical success of his career during the Bucs’ NFC South-winning season, Evans led the NFL with 13 touchdown receptions and recorded 79 receptions (his most since 2018) and 1,255 yards (his most since 2018) to earn his fifth Pro. Bowl Selection.
“It’s on record that I’ve played with a lot of quarterbacks in my career, so it doesn’t matter. Whoever the quarterback is, they’re an NFL quarterback,” Evans said. “But yeah, Baker and I have a very good connection. I think he’s an elite quarterback.”
With or without Mayfield, Evans is optimistic he still has plenty of elite-level play left in him.
“I’ve told them over the years that I train harder and harder in the offseason, eat better and things like that: stretching, chiropractor, all that,” he said. “I have it all. That definitely helped me prolong my career and made me feel better. I hope I can play five or six more years at a high level.”
Evans, the first and only player to have 10 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start a career, has already made his mark. He remained steadfast in his hopes of being a Buc for life and his new deal is the next step in achieving that. It remains to be seen who will throw the ball to him in 2024, but for now, Evans is locked in and looks to continue being the consistent, stellar contributor he has always been for Tampa.
“Obviously, it’s well known that I wanted to be a Buc my entire career,” he said. “It’s very rare to stay with one team for your entire career and that’s something that was one of my goals. This is one more step towards one of my biggest goals.”