Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Buccaneers WR Mike Evans catches 32-yard TD

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Sep 17, 2023 3:58 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is making it clear he deserves a new contract with a dominant performance against the Bears.

Through four quarters, the 30-year-old has led Tampa Bay in receiving yards with six receptions for 171 yards. He also caught a 32-yard TD with 4:06 left in the third quarter, giving the Buccaneers a 20-17 lead.

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Evans is a Super Bowl champion and has made four Pro Bowls in 10 seasons. However, his future in Tampa Bay is murky. He's entering the final year of a five-year, $82.5M deal after both parties failed to reach an agreement before the Week 1 deadline. "Any player in my position would want to be solidified and secured," Evans recently said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Since the Buccaneers are rebuilding after future Hall of Famer Tom Brady retired, they should consider trading Evans to a contender. Teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs would covet him. Their young receiving corps is inconsistent, and QB Patrick Mahomes needs elite WR play to thrive.

Tampa Bay could re-sign Evans this offseason, too. If the Buccaneers draft a young QB to eventually replace Baker Mayfield, he will need the reliable, veteran WR.

Regardless, Evans's value keeps increasing since he's showing why he is one of the best WRs in the league.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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