Mike Evans sounds off about Tom Brady and Jameis Winston

Since being drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, wide receiver Mike Evans has quietly put up six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons and has found the end zone 48 times while making the Pro Bowl three times.

There’s something Evans has never done though, and that’s get selected to the AP’s First-Team All-Pro Team. Oh, and never play in the NFL Playoffs.

Both of those things could change with the arrival of Tom Brady though, as more attention and more opportunity could lead to career levels of respect for Evans and his teammates along with the wins the team could amass, sending them to the post-season.

Of course, these are all possibilities. But potential is what the off-season is about. All 32 NFL teams set out to find the ways to potentially become better than they were, and it’s all riding on the potential of NFL Draft picks and free-agents.

Tampa Bay landed the biggest free-agent this year in quarterback Tom Brady. What the signing could mean for the franchise is supported by what his presence and play has already done for the New England Patriots. Now, as a member of the Buccaneers, Brady is looking to find similar success with his new team. An opportunity not lost on Evans, despite the resulting loss of his friend and now former quarterback, Jameis Winston.

Recently, on Instagram live with former Bucs receiver Louis Murphy, Murphy asked Evans about his feelings, and the star receiver had this to say,

“If we didn’t get Tom (Brady) then obviously I think we was going to keep Jameis (Winston),” Evans said. “I don’t know for sure, I’m not the GM, I’m not a coach. I obviously wanted Jameis back because that’s my bro, but the opportunity to get Tom Brady, like that’s Tom Brady, bro. That’s the greatest of all time, he’s a franchise changer.”

Before even stepping on the field, Brady’s presence within the organization is already being felt as the NFL awarded the Buccaneers five primetime games in 2020. More than any single season ever before in their franchise’s history.

As the NFL continues to seek out ways to have the complete 2020 season, Tampa Bay and their fans continue to wait in excited anticipation for what might come with this latest version of the Buccaneers roster. Judging by the words and temperament of one of the team’s best, the players are just as excited.

Check out the entire audio clip of the exchange between Evans and Murphy on the latest episode of the Locked On Bucs Podcast!