Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans appears to be headed towards free agency this offseason. The original expectation was that the Bucs would place the franchise tag on Evans to prevent him from going into free agency. Due to his 2023 cap number, Evans is projected to make $28.4 million instead of $21.6 million, assuming the Bucs place the franchise tag on him. That said, it seems increasingly unlikely that the Bucs will place the tag on Evans this offseason. Possibly, the two sides will agree on an extension this offseason. Otherwise, we could see the veteran wideout in a different uniform next season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the inside track to re-sign quarterback Baker Mayfield, who will become an unrestricted free agent in March. Mayfield had a career year in his first season in Tampa in 2023, and although he lost offensive coordinator Dave Canales, he'll now be working with Liam Coen, who he spent time with at the tail end of the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams. The Buccaneers could use the franchise tag on Mayfield in 2024 in order to keep him around. Mayfield has also gone on record saying he wants the team to bring back receiver Mike Evans, who will be a free agent as well when the new league year begins. Tampa has roughly $35 million available in salary cap space for the upcoming season. The best-case scenario for Mayfield and his fantasy value as a high-end QB2 will be a return to Tampa.

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.