Buccaneers won't be offering star WR contract extension

It seems as if Mike Evans' time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be coming to a close in the not-too-distant future. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the team will not be offering Evans a contract extension after the wide receiver set a deadline for Saturday to get a new extension in place. 

According to ESPN, the team did not even make Evans a contract offer after the deadline was announced by Evans and his agent. 

The 30-year-old Evans is in the final year of his contract and has been one of the team's biggest stars during his career. Along with topping the 1,000-yard mark in all nine of his seasons, he also helped the team win a Super Bowl during the 2020 season. 

The two sides have been involved in discussions for a couple of years now for a new deal, but Buccaneers beat writer Jenna Laine suggests it is an ownership issue more than a front office issue. Buccaneers ownership is dealing with limited resources after spending so much money during Tom Brady's three-year run with the team to try and compete for the Super Bowl every year. 

That means players like Evans might be getting the short straw when it comes time for their new deals. 

Just because Evans and his agent set a deadline for Saturday doesn't mean things couldn't change at some point in the future. It only takes one phone call and one offer to make everybody get into a different mindset. The Buccaneers could also try to sign him as a free agent in March when his current deal expires.

But the lack of an extension, as well as his pending free agency, does bring up the question of whether or not the Buccaneers might consider trading him before the deadline if they get off to a slow start. 

Tampa Bay has a very unsettled quarterback situation with Baker Mayfield getting the starting job, while the rest of the team has taken a step back from where it was during the peak of Brady's tenure in the 2020 and 2021 seasons.