Evans hyped about plans with Bucs
Former A&M receiver has team behind him, complementary WR
Mike Evans’ star turn during his breakthrough season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year saw him emerge as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL.
Although Evans routinely dominated cornerbacks with his rare combination of size, athleticism and route-running skills and was named to his first Pro Bowl, the former Texas A&M star from Galveston dealt with a strategy of double-team coverage intended to curtail his impact. There wasn’t a deep-threat presence opposite Evans to challenge defenses and divert defensive backs’ attention.
Now, Evans will have the advantage of working with veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Evans is excited about forming a dynamic tandem with Jackson, who signed a three-year, $33.5 million contract with the Buccaneers this offseason.
“This is going to be awesome,” Evans, 23, said. “Obviously, I think we could be one of the best tandems in the league. DeSean is an explosive receiver. I think we can do great things together.
“As soon as he got signed, we
had dinner and we connected right away. We knew each other already. I’ve always been a fan of his game and the swagger he brings. Having him on the team will be very helpful.”
Since being drafted seventh overall in 2014, Evans (6-5, 225) last season caught a career-high 96 passes for 1,321 yards and tied his personal best with 12 touchdown catches.
In three NFL seasons, the former Aggies consensus All-American and first-round draft pick has caught 288 passes for 3,578 yards and 27 touchdowns while working with improving young quarterback Jameis Winston.
The Buccaneers exercised a fifth-year team option for 2018 for Evans in April that’s worth $13.258 million.
“Mike is a Buc for life,” general manager Jason Licht said when the team exercised the option. “I can promise you at some point, I can’t tell you when, we’ll be contacting his agent to try to make him an offer that will make him a Buc for long term.”
That commitment is expected to culminate with a lucrative contract extension for Evans.
“I feel the same way,” Evans said. “I want to be a Buccaneer for a long time. I have a great relationship with everyone here. I want to be with Jameis. We can be one of the best duos out there. If everything falls in line, I just want to be with him and my teammates for a long time.
“We’ll see how it plays out. I’m hoping everything will play out well. I think we’ve got a good thing going. I just want to be around. I love this group of guys.”
Since being drafted by the Buccaneers, Evans has yet to make the playoffs. The Buccaneers achieved a winning record (9-7) last season under new coach Dirk Koetter. They went 2-14 and 6-10 in Evans’ first two seasons.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs first,” Evans said. “If we get into the tournament, anything can happen. Last year, we beat some quality opponents. We beat some playoff teams.
“We were in a lot of close games with teams that made the playoffs. I think we can be a contender. We have the talent. We have to put in the work. We look great on paper.”
However the Buccaneers wind up doing, their progress will be immortalized and televised by HBO on “Hard Knocks.”
Evans was initially wary of being on the show, which has an all-access format with a heavy presence of cameras chronicling training camp.
“At first, I didn’t want to be on ‘Hard Knocks,’ ” Evans said. “I like watching it and seeing other teams on it.
“I guess it’s going to be a cool chance for our fans to see a different side of it and how we work. I think it will be cool and I don’t think it will be too much of a distraction.”