The biggest storyline surrounding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason is the future of veteran wide receiver Mike Evans.

After spending his first 12 seasons with the Bucs, Evans will hit the open market and field offers from other suitors for the first time of his career. 

The Buccaneers are still holding out hope that they’ll be able to retain Evans for the remainder of his career, and Fox Sports’ Greg Auman reported that Tampa Bay is still aggressively pursuing re-signing him, but according to CBS Sports’ NFL insider Jonathan Jones, Evans is all but out the door. 

Mike Evans will talk to other teams when NFL free agent window opens Monday, but he and his agent will allow the Bucs to counter before he accepts anything from a new team. Bucs still aggressively involved.

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 8, 2026

“The Buccaneers have wanted to keep [Evans],” Jones said. “I think there’s a possibility that if Mike Evans gets offered somewhere, that he could take that offer back to Tampa Bay and say, ‘hey, what do you want here? But according to multiple sources that I’ve spoken to, for all intents and purposes, Mike Evans’ career as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, until he signs a one-day contract to retire as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, is over. He will be playing somewhere else in 2026 and perhaps beyond.”

“The Buccaneers were waiting, hoping that they could retain Mike Evans, but ultimately it does appear — almost certain — that he is going to be signing elsewhere.”

Jones is CBS Sports’ lead NFL insider, and he’s a reputable source with connections across the league. Hearing him so confident in Evans’ departure is not a good sign on the eve of the legal tampering period. It’s no secret that Evans will have plenty of suitors, and with the Bucs entering the offseason with a limited cash budget and strong depth at the wide receiver position, Evans wearing another uniform is starting to feel almost inevitable. 

Still, the Bucs will be given the opportunity to match competing offers before Evans makes a final decision on his future. If the two sides are serious about striking a deal to ensure Evans finishes his career in Tampa Bay, it’ll get done. But the current consensus around the league is that Evans has played his final down in Tampa Bay — only time will tell.