Bucs Gameday

Initially-absent Buccaneers star pictured at OTAs during Week 1

A Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran may have shown up for a day or two of OTAs after all.
River Wells|
A general view of Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmets against the Kansas City Chiefs.
A general view of Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmets against the Kansas City Chiefs. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Organized team activities are optional for NFL players, but that doesn't mean players skip every day.

The Bucs had quite a few players show out on Day 1 — Baker Mayfield, Antoine Winfield Jr., Bucky Irving, Yaya Diaby and Calijah Kancey all participated. Some players, though, like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Lavonte David, Vita Vea, Tristan Wirfs and (controversially) Haason Reddick did not appear on Day 1.

Day 2 and Day 3 were closed to the media, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' official social media account may have given us another tidbit about attendance. The Bucs posted a picture of Mike Evans practicing on social media, which seems to indicate he did end up showing on Day 2 or Day 3 of OTAs.

The Buccaneers will certainly be happy that players of Evans' caliber are working out at OTAs. They may be optional, but OTAs offer a good opportunity for rookies and veterans alike to work on fundamentals and get used to football conditioning — especially in the Tampa Bay heat. Evans likely doesn't need that reminder after playing for the Bucs for over a decade, but he can nonetheless build some chemistry with new Bucs wideouts Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson.

OTAs are set to kick off again on Tuesday, and with media allowed to watch, we'll get to see if some of those other big names have shown up as well.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2025 offseason.

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River Wells
RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.

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