Forget Retirement—Mike Evans' Real Fantasy Risk Is Tampa's Coaching Carousel
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Everyone's asking the wrong question about Mike Evans.
The retirement chatter? Noise. Evans clarified in December that "soon" could mean three or four more years. The free agency speculation? He turned down Kansas City and Houston two years ago to stay in Tampa. The one-team legacy matters to him more than a ring chase. He's coming back.
The real question fantasy managers should be asking: Who's calling plays?
The Carousel That Won't Stop Spinning
Todd Bowles is about to hire his fifth offensive coordinator in five years. Let that sink in. Byron Leftwich, Dave Canales, Liam Coen, Josh Grizzard—and now whoever emerges from a candidate pool that includes former Titans head coach Brian Callahan, former Falcons OC Zac Robinson, former Ravens OC Todd Monken, and Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.
Canales and Coen both got Evans the ball and made the playoffs. Grizzard didn't and got fired. The Bucs finished 21st in total offense and tied for 18th in scoring. Evans missed nine games with injuries, sure, but even when he played, the scheme felt off.
The next hire matters more for Evans' fantasy value than anything else happening this offseason.
The Candidates: What It Means for Evans
The Bucs are bringing back Zac Robinson and Brian Callahan for second interviews this week. Here's why that matters:
Zac Robinson comes from Sean McVay's tree. In Atlanta, he ran 11 personnel (three receivers) at the highest rate in the league in 2024—86% of snaps. That spreads targets around. Drake London had a career year, but so did Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud. The Falcons' wide receivers collectively ate, but nobody dominated target share. Robinson's 2025 was messier—the Falcons dropped to 24th in scoring and their receiver production cratered—but the scheme philosophy remains: spread it out, create mismatches everywhere.
For Evans, that's a floor play. You're betting on touchdown equity and red zone size rather than volume.
Brian Callahan is a different animal. In Cincinnati, he helped build an offense that funneled targets to Ja'Marr Chase. When the Bengals' offense stalled in 2023, Callahan's diagnosis was blunt: "There needs to be more production for guys not named Ja'Marr Chase." That's a coordinator who believes in feeding his alpha. Evans, at 6'5" and 231 pounds, is exactly that kind of receiver—a guy you scheme to, not around.
Callahan's Tennessee stint was a disaster (31st in total offense), but he was working with Will Levis, not Baker Mayfield. The Bengals went to the Super Bowl running his concepts with a real quarterback.
Todd Monken already had a stint in Tampa (2016-18) and just ran a top-six offense in Baltimore. He's 59 and brings experience, but his Ravens system leaned heavily on Lamar Jackson's legs and Derrick Henry's volume. How that translates to Mayfield and a receiver-heavy attack is unclear.
Nate Scheelhaase is the sexy young name—McVay's passing game coordinator, still in the playoffs with the Rams. If Tampa waits for him, they're betting on potential over track record. His scheme would likely mirror what Coen ran in 2024, which worked beautifully for Evans (90.4 PFF grade, 12 TDs).
The 2026 Fantasy Outlook
Evans remains a hold in dynasty. He's 32, not 36. The clavicle is healed. His 2024 season—90.4 PFF grade, 12 touchdowns, 1,004 yards in 13 games—proved he's still a matchup nightmare when healthy.
But his ceiling and floor in redraft are entirely dependent on who gets hired.
A Callahan or Scheelhaase hire? Evans is a back-end WR1 with top-five touchdown upside. They'll feed him in the red zone and let his size win contested catches.
A Robinson hire? Evans becomes more volatile—a WR2 with weekly spike weeks but inconsistent target volume. You're hoping for touchdowns rather than expecting them.
The 2025 stats (30 catches, 368 yards, 3 TDs in 8 games) were injury noise. The OC hire is signal. Pay attention to it.
What To Watch
The Bucs are moving fast. Second interviews are happening now. By the time you're drafting in August, we'll know whether Evans is being schemed to—or just existing in an offense that spreads the ball around.
I'm buying Evans anywhere he falls in 2026 drafts, but my confidence level swings wildly based on the hire. Callahan or Scheelhaase? I'm reaching. Robinson? I'm waiting for value.
The retirement talk is a distraction. The coaching carousel is the story.
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