I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday morning. If you’re lucky, you’re prepping for a day of college football on the TV. If you’re Mike Evans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, you’re prepping for a deadline.
Last week, Evans set a deadline for him and the Buccaneers to reach an agreement on a contract extension. The four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver has set a Week 1 deadline for him and the Buccaneers to come to terms on an extension. Evans’ representation, Day 1 Sports and Entertainment, said in a release on Friday that Evans “wants the next phase of his career to be with an organization who wants him and wants him to help win a Super Bowl.”
The veteran wide receiver is entering the final year of his five-year, $82.5 million extension that he signed with the Buccaneers in March 2018. Evans is due a base salary of $13 million and was paid a $1.5 million roster bonus in March. Fellow Bucs’ wide receiver Chris Godwin is entering the second year of a three-year, $60 million deal with $40 million guaranteed that he signed last year. According to Evans’ agent, Deryk Gilmore, the Buccaneers don’t want to pay two wide receivers over $20 million per year.
Evans’ agent said that they have “been working on extending Mike’s career with the Bucs for over a year” and that they want the fans to know that the deadline is “not a tactic” and “the ball is in the owner’s court. “It’s no secret that I want to be a Buc for life,” Evans said. “It’s rare for players to stay, especially in this day and age, to stay on a team for as long as I have. I want to just finish here.”
Unfortunately for Evans, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. In the eight days since he imposed the deadline, nothing has developed. And according to The Athletic’s Diana Russini, nothing will. Russini reported on Friday that the Buccaneers have no plans of offering Evans a contract extension.
TAMPA, FLORIDA – JANUARY 16: Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the third quarter in the NFC Wild Card playoff game at Raymond James Stadium on January 16, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
So, it appears that a veteran wide receiver will be hitting the market after the season. This means that Evans is in a contract season, one that he’s entering “very motivated,” according to his agent via Russini.
According to multiple people familiar with the situation, Washington Commanders’ Chase Young will not play in Sunday’s regular-season opener with a neck injury that may cause the defensive end to miss additional games. Young has been a limited participant in practices since suffering a stinger on Aug. 11 in Washington’s preseason opener at Cleveland. Doctors laid out a plan to gradually increase contact during practice that puts the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year on track to return in Week 3.
Speaking of the Commanders, new owner Josh Harris put the conversation about the name changing back to its original version to bed this week (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post): “Obviously, I grew up in D.C., and I was there during the glory years, so I understand why fans love the former name. But, look, there was a portion of our fan base that felt disrespected by the former name. Sports are supposed to bring people together and not be a distraction. I don’t want distractions. … I thought it was important that we end the conversation.” So there it is, it’s not happening, and as Harris said, the conversation is over.
This week’s NFL Kickoff Game between the Lions and Chiefs averaged 27 million viewers, making it the most-watched show since the Super Bowl in February. From an NBC Sports press release: “NBC Sports’ coverage peaked at 29.1 million viewers between 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET in the second quarter, while 27.1 million were watching from 10:45-11:00 p.m. ET as Jared Goff (3 of 3 passing for 40 yards) and David Montgomery (five carries for 23 yards and a touchdown) led the Lions’ game-winning scoring drive midway through the fourth quarter.”
As if we needed any more evidence, football is King in America. This week’s opener was up 24% from last year’s opener and was the most-watched NFL Kickoff Game since 2015 (Patriots-Steelers).
Luis and I chatted it up on the BN Football Show this afternoon and one of the main topics of discussion was whether we’re buying or selling the Detroit Lions being legitimate contenders in the NFC this season. We also shared our takeaways from last night’s Lions victory over the Chiefs, Joe Burrow’s contract extension (and what it means for Tee Higgins and the Bengals), whether the Chiefs can repeat as Super Bowl champions without help at wide receiver, and more. Plus, we discussed the Bears-Packers matchup and other games and players that we’re excited to watch around the NFL this weekend. You can watch the show below or on the Bleacher Nation NFL YouTube page!
Bears game previews are back! Luis got you ready for Packers week over at BN Bears on Friday afternoon.
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