Buccaneers’ Mike Evans ‘extremely confident’ Baker Mayfield will remain in Tampa Bay as free agency looms

Mike Evans decided against testing the free agent market. The Tampa Bay Buccanears star wide receiver agreed to a two-year contract extension earlier this week.

Evans confirmed the deal by posting a photo of himself in a Buccaneers’ jersey along with a photo of Leonardo DiCaprio from “The Wolf of Wall Street” movie. Now, that Evans has cemented his standing with the Bucs for the next couple of years, he hopes to have the opportunity to catch passes from the same quarterback in 2024.

Evans spoke highly of quarterback Baker Mayfield and said he was hopeful he would share a locker room with the signal caller next season.

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Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates with Mike Evans #13 during an NFL Wild Card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Raymond James Stadium on January 15, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

“Me and Baker, we played one season together. I feel like we can build on what we did last year, so hopefully we get him back. He’s a h–l of a player. I appreciate him. They’re going to handle their process, and I trust [general manager] Jason [Licht] and the front office no matter what happens.”

Evans also spoke about how Tampa Bay and the Buccaneers players embraced Mayfield this past season.

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“I mean, I’m extremely confident,” Evans said Friday when asked about his confidence in Baker’s return. “I’m not 100 percent, but he played really great for us last year, the city took him in, the players loved him — hopefully we get him back. But he should do what’s best for him.”

Nov 5, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes to wide receiver Mike Evans (13) against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. (Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports)

Mayfield and Evans certainly appeared to have chemistry on the football field in their lone season together.

Evans finished the year with 1,255 receiving yards, which marked his tenth consecutive season surpassing the 1,000 yards mark. He also hauled in 13 touchdown receptions, the second most of his career.

Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up before a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 05, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

The Bucs won the NFC South for a second straight season and went on to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round.

Evans believes the Bucs offer the ideal situation for Mayfield next season.

“I just want what’s best for him,” Evans said. “I think what’s best for him would be to play with me and Chris [Godwin], but there’s a lot of great receivers in this league that could use his services as well.”

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Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht noted that the team and Mayfield’s representatives have had some positive conversations.

“I’m a confident person in general,” Licht said. “I’m confident that we’re going to be putting our best foot forward. We’ll have more pieces, I can assure you that.”

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