Mike Evans may have imagined a different ending when he called himself a “Buc for life,” but the first five weeks of this season have made the case that his move to San Francisco was the right one.
Tampa Bay is sitting at 1-4 and sliding fast, while Evans and the 49ers are unbeaten at 5-0 and eyeing a run at the Super Bowl. That gap says plenty on its own.
Evans left the Buccaneers in free agency after 12 seasons and signed with the 49ers, a decision that has been picked apart ever since. At the time, staying in Tampa would have carried real meaning. He and the Bucs both seemed to think he’d spend his entire career in red and pewter, just as Lavonte David did before retiring in 2025 after 14 seasons.
But legacy is only part of the equation for a player like Evans. He wants the Hall of Fame, and that means stacking more production, staying in the spotlight, and lining himself up with a team that can actually win a ring.
There was a stretch when Tom Brady made Tampa Bay fit that bill. That stretch is gone.
Right now, the Buccaneers don’t look like a Super Bowl team, and the receiver room is crowded enough that Evans would have been sharing targets instead of piling them up. With Brady out of the picture and Tampa Bay stuck in the middle, the kind of exposure he’d need for a Hall of Fame push would have been harder to come by, not easier.
There’s also the possibility that the floor drops out entirely. If Todd Bowles is fired, and maybe even Jason Licht, the Buccaneers could be headed for a reset next season. In that case, Evans might have been on his way out anyway.
Whether it was because of what happened at the end of 2025 and the infamous third-and-28 or simply because he wanted a change of scenery, the choice to leave Tampa Bay looks justified. Week 5 only sharpened that picture.
The Buccaneers will try to get to 2-4 when they meet the Steelers in Week 6. The 49ers will try to push to 6-0 against the Washington Commanders.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Are Stuck In A Debate Fans Know Too Well
A familiar kind of unease has settled over Tampa Bay after the Buccaneers stumbled to a 1-4 start in 2026, the sort of opening that tends to drag old questions back into the conversation. This is a franchise that has lived through plenty of extremes over the years, from lean stretches to the high points of Super Bowl runs under Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and, more recently, Tom Brady, so the mood around the team can turn quickly when the results do.
Todd Bowles has kept insisting there is still time for the season to swing back in the right direction, and that optimism is part of what makes the current debate so recognizable for Buccaneers fans. The frustration is real, both in the locker room and in the stands, but so is the sense that this team has seen enough swings before to know the story is not fully written yet. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield's Push To Return Has Bucs Fans Watching One Thing
Baker Mayfields recovery from a dislocated thumb has become one of the bigger watch items around the Buccaneers this week, with his status for Tampa Bays Week 6 matchup against the Steelers still unsettled. Todd Bowles has said he expects rookie Jalon Daniels to start again if Mayfield cannot go, which leaves the Bucs preparing as if they may need to ride with the young quarterback for a third straight game.
Mayfield is reportedly pushing to return sooner than originally anticipated, but the final call will come down to the medical staff and how the thumb responds as he heals. The real test is whether he can handle the football without pain and get the grip he needs to operate normally, and until that happens, Tampa Bay is stuck waiting on the most basic question of all: whether its starter is ready. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Face A Risky Baker Mayfield Decision Against Pittsburgh
Baker Mayfields status has become one of the more delicate decisions facing Tampa Bay as it weighs whether to bring its quarterback back for the Steelers. Mayfield is still working his way back from the dislocated thumb he suffered in Week 3, and the Buccaneers have at least seen a capable stopgap in Jalon Daniels, who steadied the offense well enough to help them pick up their first win of the season.
The problem is the balance between urgency and caution. Rushing Mayfield back could leave Tampa Bay vulnerable if the thumb is not ready for full game action, yet sticking with the current setup raises its own questions about how much the offense can grow without its starter. With Pittsburgh on deck, the Buccaneers are in the awkward spot of trying to protect both their quarterback and their momentum at the same time. [Read more 🡒]