EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsINDIANAPOLIS -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday at the NFL combine that wide receiver Mike Evans, the team's all-time leading scorer, has "earned the right to speak to other teams in free agency and to decide where he wants to continue his playing career," although, as Licht put it, "We'd like for him to retire as a Buccaneer."Last week, Evans' agent Deryk Gilmore told ESPN that he called the Bucs to inform them that Evans, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March, wants to play for a 13th season. But unlike 2024, when Evans signed a new contract before the legal tampering period even began, he will listen to offers from other teams. Neither Licht nor Bowles were bothered by Evans' desire to talk to other teams."I love Mike and we'd love to have Mike back and he's earned the right to with his rsum," said Licht, who selected Evans seventh overall in the 2014 NFL draft as his first-ever selection as a general manager. "And with Mike as a person, what he's meant to this entire community, fan base, all of us -- I could go on and on, which we have -- he's earned that right. We'd love to have Mike back and we'll just see how the process goes."Bowles added, "Mike knows how we feel about him. He's been here for a long time now. He's a great receiver. He knows we'd love to have him back, but he's earned that right to go out and listen to other teams and see and we try to get him back in the fold, but he's definitely earned that right to look around."Licht will meet with Gilmore later this week in Indianapolis to discuss Evans' future. The Bucs are free to do so, while other teams must wait until the NFL's legal tampering period begins at noon ET Monday, March 9. At 4 p.m. on March 11, players can officially sign new contracts with other teams.Back in 2023, Evans and Gilmore had expressed frustration publicly over their inability to strike a new deal with the Bucs prior to the season beginning, stating that Evans would play, but that they would refrain from any more negotiating until after the season ended. Things could have soured then, but instead, they came to an agreement on a two-year deal worth $41 million and up to $52 million with incentives on March 4, 2024. Both have since expressed that this is a respectful working relationship."We do have great communication with his agent," Licht said. "We've dealt with him several times. It's been awesome. Always been great meetings, great phone calls. We talk a lot so yes, hopefully we will, but we do, we want Mike back. Mike's meant a lot to us and ultimately we'd like to have him retire as a Buc."While the 2023 contract situation is water under the bridge, Evans was visibly frustrated over the team not reaching the playoffs in 2025, for the first time since their Super Bowl LV win. In 2025, he missed nine games with a hamstring strain and a broken collarbone that required surgery -- his first time suffering a broken bone or having surgery. He was able to return in Week 15, with a 132-yard receiving performance against the Atlanta Falcons, but the team blew a 14-point lead in a 29-28 loss that saw Evans slam his helmet into a wall in the tunnel out of frustration."That's tough. It was tough for all of us," Licht said. "It was tough for any of us to look at any of the players and not feel the way we felt. I mean coaches as well, the entire organization. ... It was a painful experience to have our season slip away like that. But trust me, we all own it and we're doing everything we can with our plans here moving forward to try to get back on track and I'm confident that we will."Bowles and Licht made several changes to the coaching staff -- including a new offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson, who is philosophically very aligned with previous offensive coordinator Liam Coen -- in hopes of regaining their winning form. Unlike past offensive coordinators who were first-time playcallers at the NFL level, Robinson has experience (the majority of Coen's playcalling came at the college level when he was at the University of Kentucky), and the thought is that this can free up Bowles to focus more on defense, in which he still calls plays. They've also gone in a new direction with their strength and conditioning department in hopes of cutting back on injuries, which significantly impacted them not only at wide receiver but also with their offensive line.Bowles was asked if the team felt confident if they had to play next season without Evans, considering they have Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson, he said, "Is it okay for me to answer that if it happens? I don't want to answer that right now. That's a tough one. ... I don't want to jinx it."On the defensive side of the ball, there's 35-year-old inside linebacker Lavonte David, whose 14 seasons are tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks for second most in franchise history. David also tied Brooks' franchise tackle record in the Bucs' final regular-season game on Jan. 3, 2025. The Bucs will meet with his agent Ron Butler later this week in Indianapolis to discuss his future. Unlike Evans, he has not decided if he wants to continue playing.David wears the green helmet sticker signifying he is responsible for all the communication on defense and has done so since his rookie season. But he spent this past season quietly navigating a knee injury that required him to have 50 cc of fluid drained each week. He played this past year on a one-year deal worth $10 million.The team has only two inside linebackers under contract. The closest the team found to a successor was 2019 fifth overall draft pick Devin White, who played a key role in their 2020 postseason but struggled thereafter and the team did not attempt to re-sign him when he hit free agency in 2024. Bowles has so far looked at inside linebacker prospects projects to be first- and second-round picks but has not gone deeper than that yet."He's been the guy to carry us, our leader and everything else," Bowles said of David. "So he has definitely earned that right to see if he wants to continue playing and if he does, hopefully he'll be here. But he definitely earned that right. And we want him back. He knows how we feel about him. But that decision's up to him."The team has even gone so far as to paint a silhouette of David on a wall inside their building with the words "I AM THAT MAN." It's a reminder of what they look for in prospective players, in both talent and temperament. "He's the staple of what we look for player to person," Licht said. "He's also earned the right to take a step back and decide what his future is and we're giving him that respect."
