With Tom Brady deciding to retire (again), many NFL observers view the 2023 season as a rebuilding one for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wide receiver Mike Evans for one does not agree.
“Rebuilding? We are just trying to win right now,” Evans told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “I don’t know why people don’t see that. Win the division, after that people can take care of themselves.”
The Bucs enjoyed three seasons with Brady at quarterback and the success that it brought. They made the playoffs in all three seasons, including a win in Super Bowl LV.
But Brady walked away from football after the 2022 season, leaving the Bucs with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask as their starting QB options. Trask was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft and has attempted just nine passes in his NFL career to date.
Mayfield has bounced around since the Cleveland Browns dumped him last July. He started six games for the Carolina Panthers and four for the LA Rams in 2022, posting the league's worst QBR.
Despite Brady's absence, Mike Evans still views winning the NFC South as the team's goal. The Buccaneers managed to pull that off last season despite posting an 8-9 record and negative point differential.
But the Panthers are starting rookie Bryce Young at quarterback, while the Atlanta Falcons will turn to unproven Desmond Ridder under center. The New Orleans Saints acquired Derek Carr this offseason to play quarterback, but star running back Alvin Kamara will begin the season on the suspended list.
Evans clearly sees a path to the NFC South title for the Bucs. If he plays like his usual self again in 2023, the offense might just get by, even with Brady no longer running the show.