Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans said Tuesday it’s possible he’ll return for a 13th NFL season after his contract expires this summer.
“Someone was just thanking me for all I’ve done, and kind of just writing me off like I’m done after this,” Evans said Tuesday (h/t the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud). “But I don’t know, we’ll see… it’s always a possibility.”
Evans said he’s currently treating the Buccaneers’ upcoming regular season finale against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday as “a normal game.”
“I just approach it how I always approach it,” Evans said (h/t ESPN’s Jenna Laine). “It’s whatever happens, happens. I’ll focus on that when the time is right.
“Right now, we have to win. And I’m always giving my all and I’m always gonna go out swinging.”
The Buccaneers need to defeat the Panthers this Saturday in order to keep their hopes of a playoff berth alive.
Even then, Tampa Bay could only get into the playoffs if the New Orleans Saints defeat the Atlanta Falcons the following day.
The team will at least have the benefit of Baker Mayfield being able to work with Evans, who was sidelined for almost two months after suffering a broken collarbone in Week 7.
The cast surrounding Mayfield could be even more important in Week 18 given that the quarterback was limited during Tuesday’s practice with right shoulder and knee injuries.
The Bucs recently announced Evans bobbleheads will be given out to fans ahead of the regular season finale in what the team described as “a tribute to his legendary career and commitment to Tampa Bay,” per ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
Evans recorded at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 11 seasons with the Bucs to match an all-time streak set by Jerry Rice in 1996.
That streak is set to end now that Evans has been limited to 334 yards during his injury-shortened season, but the wide receiver could still play a key role in Mayfield and the Bucs’ hopes of sneaking into the playoffs as the winner of the NFC South.