Does New Big NFL Trade Change Things for Mike Evans and Buccaneers?

The NFL landscape is always shifting. Offseasons are the prime opportunity to make trades, sign free agents and change the scope of your football team, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot of work to do to make themselves a contender. They're focused on aggressively trying to get franchise legend Mike Evans to re-sign in Tampa Bay, but other teams are putting in the work to get better, too — and one big trade could affect the Bucs in a big way.

The Buffalo Bills made a splash move on Thursday, trading a second-round pick for Chicago Bears wideout D.J. Moore and a fifth-round pick. With that move, the Bills believe they have a WR1 for quarterback Josh Allen, and the Bears can stock up on draft picks to address other areas of need this offseason.

ESPN sources: the Chicago Bears are working to finalize a trade that would send WR D.J. Moore to the Buffalo Bills.

Compensation still is being discussed, and the trade cannot be processed until the new league year begins, but both sides are pushing to make it happen. pic.twitter.com/pMM4pvGFaZ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 5, 2026

So what does this trade have to do with Mike Evans? Well, it may have eliminated what would have been one of his more aggressive suitors.

Mike Evans could be less likely to play for Bills

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) reacts a touchdown during the first half against the Carolina Panthers | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Bills would have been a big suitor for Evans, as they would have the money to sign him and they'd also fit his supposed criteria — he'd get plenty of targets, they are currently Super Bowl contenders and he'd get to play with an elite quarterback like Josh Allen. Now, though, the Bills have Moore in town, and they may not want to spend more money in free agency to get a position they already traded for in the offseason.

Despite this, though, that still leaves a few other options for Evans outside of Tampa Bay, including the team that just traded Moore away. The Bears have Rome Odunze and Luther Burden to throw passes to, but Evans could fill in a nice role in Chicago that would elevate their offense with another archetype of his size and stature. Additionally, teams like the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots could use a player of Evans' talents, should he wish to go to any of those teams.

The Bucs could very well re-sign Evans after all this drama. It remains to be seen which other teams are interested in him, but Buffalo and Chicago may have done the Bucs a big favor with Moore's trade.

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