TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- The National Football League's trade deadline is quickly approaching, and while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have stood confident that star wide receiver Mike Evans will retire a Buc, the NFL can be unpredictable.
Ahead of the 2023 NFL regular season, star wide receiver Mike Evans and his agent, Deryk Gilmore, made it known to the Buccaneers organization that they would have liked to get a contract extension inked before the season began.
The contract to make him a "Buc for life" ultimately didn't get worked out, shifting fans and analysts to believe that this season could be Evans's last one in Tampa Bay.
With the NFL trade deadline approaching at 4 p.m. ET, teams could still offer a deal to acquire the seasoned receiver, but based on Bucs' general manager Jason Licht's recent comments, it doesn't appear the team is willing to be without Evans.
On Tuesday, the Good Morning Football crew had Licht stop by to talk about the Buccaneers launch of their National Coaching Academy. At the end of the interview, Licht was asked about the trade rumors surrounding Evans, and his answer was gold.
"I'm really looking forward to Mike continuing his great career here in Tampa and extending his streak of 1,000-yard seasons here with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," Licht said.
In each of Evans' nine seasons in the league, he's recorded 1,000-plus receiving yards, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. Based on Licht's comments, the GM also hopes to keep that active streak alive for years to come.
Whether the Bucs follow suit with Licht's statements is up in the air, however, Evans has already previously expressed his desire to stay in Tampa.
“It’s no secret that I want to be a Buc for life,” Evans said. “It’s rare for players to stay, especially this day and age, to stay on a team for as long as I have. I want to just finish here.”
Still, it will be interesting to see how the offseason unfolds when Evans becomes a free agent.