{"id":183543,"date":"2026-03-08T22:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T22:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/183543\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T22:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T22:51:08","slug":"mike-evans-gives-crucial-stipulation-to-buccaneers-before-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/183543\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Evans Gives Crucial Stipulation to Buccaneers Before Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

The legal tampering period in free agency begins on March 9, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> are closer to losing a franchise legend than they ever had been.<\/p>\n

Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans is officially set to test free agency on Monday, hitting the market for the very first time in his 12-year career. Evans, drafted by the Buccaneers in 2014 and since becoming one of the franchise’s legendary players, was set to test the market two years ago before getting a deal done before the start of free agency. Now, Evans wants to see his other options, and the Buccaneers are letting him do so.<\/p>\n

Evans will have plenty of suitors who can likely pay him more money than Tampa Bay can. That being said, though, Evans reportedly has a condition that might make retaining him quite a bit easier for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. <\/p>\n

Mike Evans will allow Buccaneers to match free agency offers\"Tampa<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) reacts after catching a pass against Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

According to FOX Sports’ Greg Auman, Evans will entertain other offers from NFL teams on Monday. That being said, he and his agent will allow the Bucs to counter-offer any of those deals before he accepts them, which could be huge for Tampa Bay. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The language used implies that it would be a counteroffer as opposed to a straight up matching offer, which could play heavily in the Bucs’ favor. If Evans is willing to return to Tampa Bay for a little bit less than what the highest bidder is offering, the two teams could get something done fairly quickly and make sure Evans is a Buc for Life. <\/p>\n

That doesn’t mean the Bucs still can’t be outpriced, however. If a team is still willing to pay above market value to get Evans, the Bucs may simply decline to counter the offer if it would hamstring them salary cap-wise. With this stipulation, though, a team would have to offer an extremely lucrative deal to price Evans out of Tampa Bay \u2014 and that’s likely exactly what Evans and his agent are hoping for. <\/p>\n

The legal tampering period begins at noon on Monday, but Evans and his agent have likely already heard from a number of teams in a roundabout fashion and know exactly what to expect. With that in mind, the Bucs will have a chance to respond to any offer he may get as they aggressively try to re-sign him. <\/p>\n

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