Over the weekend, the internet was in high gear surrounding Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Mike Evans. Though his agent insisted his client wanted to win a Super Bowl, he chose the cash instead, which means he won’t be a Kansas City Chief.
Despite his age, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Mike Evans was a highly coveted commodity if he hit the free agent market. One of those teams interested in the 32-year-old receiver was the Kansas City Chiefs.
Early Monday morning, according to our friend, Jordan Schultz, with Bleacher Report, the Bucs announced they had reached a 2-year $52 Million contract that includes $35 Million guaranteed.
That’s quite a hall for Evans. He now becomes one of the higher-paid receivers. Though his agent was emphatic he wanted to play for a Super Bowl contender and had zero interest in playing with a rookie quarterback; he chose the cash over the opportunity to win another ring.
With NFL free agency set to begin in two weeks, teams spent the week at the Indianapolis Combines working with agents and studying draft prospects. Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach met with the agents for Chris Jones and L’Jarius Sneed. Those talks have yet to mature into deals, but all sides remain optimistic both defensive free agents could return to the Chiefs.
Reports indicated the Chiefs gave Sneed and his agent latitude to engineer a trade, but to date, only two teams, the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons, have shown interest. Officially, the Chiefs will place the franchise tag on Sneed today, so they are likely comfortable in their attempts to retain Jones.
Still, the news today about Evans taking another free-agent receiver off the board. The bad news for the Chiefs this off-season, barring a surprise release or trade with another NFL team, is that the free agent class needs to be more profound.
Yet, the rookie class of receivers in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft is plentiful. A player projected to be available to the Chiefs at pick 32 is speed merchant Xavier Worthy from Texas. On Saturday, he set the NFL combine 40-yard dash speed record and was the buzz of the week.
The thoughts of Worthy and Patrick Mahomes playing catch next season in Kansas City would undoubtedly elevate the Chiefs offense. Only some NFL teams are in love with Worthy. Yes, he has excellent speed and terrific hands, but he isn’t a big receiver despite his height. That matters very little for a team like the Chiefs because they have a physical receiver in Rashee Rice.
The coaches and scouts returned to Kansas City over the weekend with a treasure trove of information regarding potential draft picks. Conversely, Veach understands what it will take to retain key free agents and grab a pair of high-impact free agents.
If Veach can be successful at both objectives between now and the end of the draft, the Three-Peat chant will get louder across the NFL.
