It’s been a bittersweet offseason for the Buccaneers, who saw two legends depart the franchise. First, the Buccaneers watched longtime receiver Mike Evans leave in free agency for the 49ers. Then, linebacker Lavonte David retired, calling it a career after 14 stellar seasons in Tampa.
The departure of Evans is particularly sad for the Buccaneers, who were willing to pay the 32-year-old more than the 49ers did so he could remain a member of the franchise that drafted him back in 2014. Over his time with the Buccaneers, Evans tallied 11 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons—tying Jerry Rice’s record—and helped the franchise win its second Super Bowl. Instead of staying with the Buccaneers for his entire career, Evans opted to head to San Francisco on a three-year, $42.4 million deal with $14 million guaranteed.
The Buccaneers, of course, do not feel betrayed by Evans leaving. Evans became one of the best players in franchise history, contributing so much for the team before ultimately choosing to enter a new chapter in his career this offseason.
Second-year wideout Emeka Egbuka spoke on Evans’s departure this week, noting that he can still text or call Evans about anything.
“We're really close,” Egbuka said of Evans. “I’m just really happy for him that he found a home that he feels confident and comfortable in. He’s going to continue to do good things. We’re just all so proud of him, there’s no hard feelings or anything like that. Everyone loves him at the Bucs.”
“To see Mike leave, it was tough, but I think everybody just realized we have to reset, we have to move forward,” general manager Jason Licht said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show Tuesday. “We have an awesome receiver room, awesome receivers coach, awesome offensive staff.”
With Evans gone, Egbuka is now slated to take on a bigger role in the Buccaneers’ offense. As Evans and Chris Godwin missed time with injuries last season, Egbuka got off to a hot start as a rookie—including scoring five touchdowns over his first five games. He cooled down as the Buccaneers stumbled late in the season, but finished his first year with 63 receptions for 938 yards and six touchdowns.
“If they wanna call my name on third-and-10 and fourth down and all that type of stuff, I’m gonna be the guy who’s there to execute,”Egbuka said of an expanded role, via Rick Stroud. “If they want me to stick my nose in there and block and do whatever I need to help the team, that’s where my head’s at.”
The Buccaneers will also look for third-round pick Ted Hurst to become a contributor in the passing game. Hurst comes to Tampa after playing college football for Georgia State, where he caught 71 passes for 1,004 yards and six touchdowns in 2025. “I think he’s somebody that comes into a perfect situation to learn from the guys that we have, not being expected to be a savior right away,” Licht said of Hurst to McAfee. “He certainly has a lot of talent, we’re all very excited to have him in here for rookie minicamp.”
It will be hard to imagine the Buccaneers offense without Evans, and the team knows there’s no replacing him, but they’re preparing to move on before the 2026 season gets underway.
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EVA GEITHEIM
Eva Geitheim is an NFL writer at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor’s in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or rewatching Gilmore Girls.
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