One of the big moves that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made during the 2024 NFL offseason was re-signing wide receiver, Mike Evans. The seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft has been incredibly consistent throughout his career and earned that raise.

In every season as a pro, Mike Evans has recorded at least 1,000 receiving yards. He has been named to the Pro Bowl team five times and All-Pro Second Team twice.

Last season, Evans led the NFL with 13 touchdown receptions, setting himself up for a huge payday ahead of free agency. To the surprise of some people, that payday came from the Buccaneers.

There were some rumors that he would leave Tampa Bay, as they didn’t want to pay two wide receivers $20+ million annually. But, when presented with such an opportunity, the franchise jumped at it.

The two sides agreed to a two-year, $52 million deal. That deal pays Mike Evans only $500,000 more annually than Chris Godwin and places him 18th among his wide receiver peers.

In the opinion of Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network, that makes Evans one of the most valuable players in the NFL contract-wise. Robinson recently sifted through the league seeking the best contract on every team, and for the Buccaneers, he selected the talented wide receiver.

“While everything pointed to Evans leaving Tampa Bay this offseason, he eventually took a hometown discount. His $20.5 million AAV came in well below projections, even if the 30-year-old can earn up to $11 million via incentives. If Evans reaches the production thresholds to unlock his incentive package, the Buccaneers will happily pay the money,” Robinson wrote.

When teams give players everything they have sought and the relationship is a good one, deals like this can come together. There are players ahead of Mike Evans on the list of wide receiver contracts that probably shouldn’t be.

Had he truly tested the market as Calvin Ridley did, Evans very well could have been inside the top 10-15 of wide receiver contracts in the NFL. Instead, he signed a deal with the Buccaneers.

They are a team he is comfortable with, and it can be perceived that he gave them a hometown discount. In turn, this makes him one of the best contracts in the league.

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