Mike Evans came into the offseason as one of the NFL’s top free agents. He was 11th on the list. PFT’s Top 100 Free Agents List.
The receiver, however, never reached free agency.
The Buccaneers re-signed him to a two-year, $52 million contract on March 4, six days before the legal tampering period.
Evans revealed on Sunday that he would have seriously considered the Texans or Chiefs if he had hit the market.
“I mean, in the back of my mind, I’m… thinking of Houston, Kansas City“Evans told NFL Media. “I love the way Pat Mahomes plays. I’m thinking about those two teams. And obviously I’m thinking about the Bucs.”
Houston is 51 miles from his hometown of Galveston and 93 miles from College Station, where he played college football at Texas A&M. As appealing as he was, and whether he played with CJ Stroud in Houston or Mahomes, Evans’ goal has always been to finish his career with the Buccaneers.
He was drafted in the first round in 2014, and is now the only player in NFL history to record 10 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons early in his career.
“I mean, I’ve been here my whole career,” Evans said. “And that was a goal of mine, obviously. … It would have been extremely difficult, if I hit free agency, to leave here. But this is where my family knows. My kids were born here. My wife has been here a long time.”
