Why Replacing Lavonte David and Mike Evans Won’t Be Easy For The Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the course of the last month have lost two of their franchise cornerstones. Both Mike Evans and Lavonte David are generational talents that will be hard to replace.

Unfortunately this is exactly the task at hand for General Manager Jason Licht.

Let’s take a closer look.

Lavonte David:

From the time David put the green dot on his helmet, The GM has been trying to find someone who could possibly relieve him of having to carry all the weight of that responsibility.

Not because they had doubts he could, But David never really wanted it, he would have preferred to just be allowed to play without having to think about everything else that dot calls for.

there are just four linebackers in the last 35 years who have done what David has. David is one of 5 players in the last 35 seasons with 40+ sacks and 35+ takeaways.
others:

• Jason Taylor
• Junior Seau
• Ray Lewis
• Brian Urlacher

To be Honest here, If the team could find another David in the last five years (at least) at some point you would think they would have. And we have seen the attempts at doing so, Remember Devin White?

David will be the next Buccaneer going into the NFL Hall of fame, He will be in the team’s ring of honor, and he won’t be replaced anytime soon.

Fans may just have to lower expectations when looking at the next linebacker to step into that position.

Mike Evans:

From the first time Mike Evans stepped on the Field in a Bucs uniform he has been the consummate Buccaneer. He’s been the face of a franchise which at times seemed they could care less about putting the players around him to win, let alone the coaches he’s had to endure, Lavonte and Mike have been the Teams only bright spots for over a decade.
I’ve heard fans disparaging Mike’s name because he went elsewhere to continue his last year’s competing, cry me a river!

Evans has done what no other Buc in 50 years has done, with numerous QBs throwing him the ball and so many changes in staffing you need more fingers and toes to count them all.
>Evans is one of only two current WRs in the top ten scoring.

• Devonte Adams
• Mike Evans

Evans will attempt to climb that list and since he’s only about a season’s run of TDs away from moving up 3 spots it seems likely he will.
We already know Mike is tied with Jerry Rice in consecutive 1000+ yard seasons at 11.

Wide Receivers are tricky to predict when they will get into the HOF.

But rest assured he will get in, and he will likely retire a Buc on a one-day contract, as well as be the next one in the Buccaneers Ring of Honor, right behind Lavonte David.

So like David, replacing Mike with another X receiver is not going to be business as usual, it’s going to be a process to just find a good fit.
You just don’t have special players like these two and expect them to be simply replaced, you may never see their like again.

Keep this in mind when people start throwing out those “generational player” comments around during the draft.