For anyone who roots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the news last week that franchise icon wide receiver Mike Evans planned to sign with the San Francisco 49ers was tough to swallow. That was true to probably a greater degree for Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht, who began his drafting career with the selection of Evans with the seventh overall pick in 2014, then watched him blossom into a future Hall of Famer.
"Obviously, best offensive player we've ever had, and even better person than he is a player," said Licht. "So it's always tough. That one was really tough.
"You hate to lose a guy like Mike, but we've got to move on."
Fortunately for the Buccaneers, Evans' departure at the start of free agency, as painful as it was, did not leave the team bereft in the wide receiver category. Chris Godwin is a former Pro Bowl performer who topped 1,000 receiving yards in four of five seasons before some injury misfortune the past two years…and that was with Evans in the mix, rightfully drawing hundreds of targets. A scary neck injury cost Jalen McMillan much of his sophomore campaign but he was one of the NFL's most productive receivers down the stretch as a rookie in 2024 and came back at the end of 2025 to post his first 100-yard game. Emeka Egbuka was an Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist last season, finishing his debut campaign with 938 yards, six touchdowns and an average of 14.9 yards per catch. Tez Johnson, another member of Licht's 2025 draft class, proved to be a seventh-round steal with 28 catches for 332 yards and five touchdowns, and he has speed to burn.
Even Evans could see the abundance of talent he was leaving behind as he moved on to a new challenge.
"He said, 'He HeI'm leaving this with a great room,'" said Licht of a conversation with the departing receiver.
The Buccaneers aggressively tried to convince Evans to stay and would have preferred to have him enter the Hall as a "one helmet" player, like Buccaneer greats Derrick Brooks, Rondé Barber and Lee Roy Selmon before him. Since he chose a different path, there will be many more opportunities for those still in the Bucs' receiving corps to step up into more prolific roles. There's also the possibility the team will add to the group during draft weekend, just as they did last year with the surprise selection of Egbuka in the first round.
"When we interviewed offensive coordinators this year, and we interviewed a lot, they all were very [interested in] what's the status with Mike? It would be great if he was here, back. If not, we love the room and we have a plan for all of them," said Licht. "Tez's name came up countless times, [and] obviously J-Mac and Emeka and Chris. We'll still look to add there, don't be surprised. I think it's very good right now but you can never have too many good ones. We've seen that over the years here with our injuries.
"We are where we are. I know that our offensive coaches are excited to scheme this and have a lot of different weapons to go through. I still think we have the ability to be a top offense in the league."
There will be some sorting out to do. Evans has been the Bucs' primary X receiver for the last dozen years, and while the Bucs would be hard-pressed to find another player with his specific combination of size, downfield playmaking and contested catch ability, they do have attractive options for the role.
"I can just say that they have a plan," said Licht of the Bucs' coaching staff. "There could be a lot of teams that would be elated to have this group. There will be a plan."
