Best landing spots for WR Mike Evans

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and wide receiver Mike Evans were unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension, meaning that the five-time Pro Bowler is set to hit free agency. Evans is a model of consistency, having never finished a season with fewer than 1,000 receiving yards. His 10 consecutive years of 1,000-yard output is one year shy of tying Jerry Rice’s record for most consecutive years with that stat line.

In a league full of receiver-needy teams, here are seven teams that could land Evans in free agency this summer. All cap information comes courtesy of OverTheCap.

Current cap space: $32.1M (11th)

Current receivers rostered: Chris Godwin, Russell Gage, Trey Palmer

The best place for Evans is likely to stay at home. The 10-year veteran has previously stated his desire to remain in Tampa Bay and get a contract extension done. Even without the extension, Evans would be a massive boon for the Buccaneers. If Tampa Bay’s plan is to run back this offense with Baker Mayfield at quarterback, they need to give him as much help as possible. The infrastructure that helped Mayfield have a turnaround season is already fractured with the departure of Dave Canales. Giving Mayfield weapons could help the Buccaneers stay atop an NFC South that is very much up for grabs.

Cap space: $69.5M (2nd)

Current receivers rostered: DeMario Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton

The Patriots are pretty much as barren a roster offensively as one can get. The team has no quarterback and no real tackles. Their best receiver and top two tight ends are all expected to hit free agency. Their most promising prospects are two third-day rookie receivers entering their second year, and New England is sure to add more rookie receiving talent in one of the deepest WR drafts in recent memory. They are also primed to bring in a rookie quarterback, depending on how the draft shakes out. Evans is a Super Bowl champion with a veteran pedigree and a track record of consistency that few in NFL history have been able to replicate. He would be the perfect primary target for a young quarterback and an excellent mentor to a young receiver room.

Cap space: $73.6M (1st)

Current receivers rostered: Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Dyami Brown

Washington is in a somewhat similar situation, albeit slightly better across the board. Washington has similar holes on offense, likely the same rookie presence at quarterback, and a whole lot of cap space. That being said, Washington also has a ton of young receiving talent and an already-proven guy in Terry McLaurin. McLaurin is under contract for the next three years, having already signed an extension with Washington in 2022. That means whoever the Commanders draft at No. 2 will enter the league with two elite receiving talents to work with. Kliff Kingsbury could draw a whole lot of great plays for those two.

Cap space: $54.6M (7th)

Current receivers rostered: Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods, John Metchie III

The Texans have already nailed two of their young wide receiver picks in Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Collins also has experience playing as a No. 2, spending his first two seasons playing behind Brandin Cooks. With the Texans making an early-to-the-party playoff run in 2023, an Evans signing would throw kerosene on the fire and give C.J. Stroud one of the best 11-personnel sets to work out of in the league.

Cap space: $58.9M (6th)

Current receivers rostered: Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin, D.J. Montgomery

The Colts’ offseason plans at receiver will likely revolve around Michael Pittman Jr. Pittman is an extremely strong receiving talent coming off one of his best seasons in the league despite working mostly with a backup quarterback in Gardner Minshew. Behind Pittman, though is a receiver room with promise but still mostly made up of young, raw talent. If the Colts feel as though Pittman commands too much on the open market, they could pivot their vision to Evans to bring in a veteran leader.

Cap space: $41.7M (9th)

Current receivers rostered: Michael Wilson, Robdale Moore, Zach Pascal, Andre Baccellia

The Cardinals have more pressing needs than receiver. Their defense was the worst in the league last year by DVOA and didn’t excel in a single category. Their playmaker situation isn’t great either. Marquise Brown and Greg Dortch are set to hit free agency, and the Cardinals already released veteran tight end Zach Ertz. One could argue that their big gap in play-maker gets resolved with the No. 4 overall pick, when the Cardinals eventually draft Marvin Harrison Jr. This is a team more than a piece or two away, and Kyler Murray is on the books through the 2028 season. The Cardinals addressed their wide receiver needs of the past with a veteran in DeAndre Hopkins, and the partnership worked out great. Instead of drafting Harrison, Arizona could sign Evans, accrue assets, and draft a receiver later in the draft.

Cap space: $15.2M (18th)

Current receivers rostered: Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling

The Chiefs need someone reliable at receiver. The Cheifs led the league in drops last year, and Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney put up two of the least efficient receiving seasons of the Mahomes-Reid era. As currently constructed, the Chiefs likely don’t have the cap space to sign Evans. Aside from Rashee Rice this season, Kansas City hasn’t had a stellar track record of converting young receivers into reliable options. Cutting Valdes-Scantling would free up $12 million in cap space. Perhaps Evans would be willing to take a contender discount knowing Kansas City was able to win a Super Bowl without a No. 1 receiver.