'Stay in Tampa Bay, Babe!' Mike Evans Almost Tested Free Agency Before Re-Signing with Bucs
Former Texas A&M Aggies wideout and recently signed Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans was set to hit free agency on Wednesday, and he planned on doing so. It would be the first time in his career.
That's not to say he was planning on leaving Tampa Bay, but every NFL player always wonders about the open market to judge his worth and value to other teams. Evans, who has never hit free agency, said the market was a “cool dream, but Tampa’s my home.”
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Evans' wife, Ashli, convinced him to stay in Tampa and finish his career with the Buccaneers, where he recently signed a two-year, $41 million deal to avoid free agency.
“I don’t want to say I was waiting for my wife to speak up, but she just planted it,’' Evans said Friday, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
“These things are just like day and night. You have to think about it. We were thinking, and it just hit her and she said, ‘Maybe we should stay in Tampa, babe.’
"I mean, I wanted to be in Tampa, and they offered me great money. It wasn’t about the money. I just wanted to see everything as a whole, and if we were going to get Baker [Mayfield] back and things like that. But I know I can play with whoever is at quarterback. Obviously, I hope it’s Baker.’'
Evans, a Texas A&M product, is the only player in NFL history to begin his career with 10 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
