Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers new offensive coordinator Liam Coen said that he's hopeful the team will be able to re-sign impending free-agent wide receiver Mike Evans. Evans is still one of the best receivers in the game, so it's no wonder Coen would like to work with him in his first year coordinating Tampa's offense. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who had a career year for the Bucs in 2023, is also a free agent that the team is hoping to bring back. Whether or not Evans returns will have a big impact on the team's offensive direction in 2024 and beyond. The 30-year-old five-time Pro Bowler has hit the 1,000-yard mark in all 10 of his NFL seasons and will be looking to make it 11 straight in 2024 for whichever team he's playing for.

When asked about his confidence level in quarterback Baker Mayfield returning to the team in 2024, new Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen said, "higher than I probably need to be. I want him to be here. It's probably more want than know. He's obviously a reason that I'm here... I think he wants to be here." Mayfield had a career year in Tampa in 2023, setting career-highs in passing yards (4,044), completion percentage (64.3) and touchdown passes (28) while throwing 10 interceptions in 17 regular-season games. He even led the team to a wild-card playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The 28-year-old will be a free agent this coming March, but there's mutual interest from both sides in a reunion. At best, Mayfield will be a high-end QB2 in fantasy next year if Mike Evans also re-signs in free agency.

New Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen said that he sees wide receiver Chris Godwin moving back inside into the slot position in 2024. The Buccaneers got away from that last year with the thought that it may preserve him from a health standpoint. Godwin saw much less time in the slot in 2023 compared to the previous year, but the 27-year-old pass-catcher was still targeted a fair amount (130 times) by quarterback Baker Mayfield. Godwin just wasn't very efficient and finished with career-low averages of 4.9 receptions per game and 60.2 receiving yards per game. It may be slightly worse for Godwin's health, but a return to the slot should be good news overall for his fantasy value, especially if Mike Evans doesn't return in free agency.

Despite offensive coordinator Dave Canales' departure to become the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still expected to pursue a contract extension as quarterback Baker Mayfield enters free agency in 2024, according to a league source. Mayfield is coming off his best season in the NFL, completing 64.3 percent of his passes for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while leading the team to the playoffs in his first year in Tampa. Hiring Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen as Canales' replacement could help with retaining Mayfield, as the two overlapped late in the 2022 season with the Rams. Either way, Mayfield is going to be playing for his seventh different offensive coordinator in his seventh NFL season in 2024.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has enjoyed a phenomenal career with the organization so far, compiling 762 receptions for 11,680 yards and 94 touchdowns in 10 seasons. He has never produced fewer than 1,000 yards during his decade in Tampa and he wants to remain with the franchise that selected him in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. "I've been on record saying how much I love this place and how much I want to be here," Evans said on Sunday. "Not a lot of guys finish with one team, so that will be amazing if I get to do that but, you know, we'll see. I'm still trying to get over this loss." Evans' season finished with a 31-23 loss to the Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Round. He caught eight passes for 147 yards and a touchdown in that game. Needless to say, he's still a great wide receiver, but it remains to be seen if the Buccaneers will offer him a deal that he will agree to. He can enter free agency this offseason. Whether he's in Tampa Bay or somewhere else next year, he'll remain firmly on the fantasy football radar for his 11th NFL campaign.