Mike Evans Suffers Broken Clavicle, Expected To Miss Most Of Season

The snakebitten Buccaneers offense took another significant hit this evening. Mike Evans suffered a broken clavicle during tonight’s loss, coach Todd Bowles told reporters (via Greg Auman of FOX Sports). The injury is expected to sideline the wide receiver for the majority of the season, per James Palmer of The Athletic.

“He’ll be out mostly toward the end of the year,” Bowles told reporters (via Auman). “We’ll see what happens.”

Fortunately, it sounds like Bowles may have been estimating the worst-case scenario. Jordan Schultz reports that the wideout’s initial timeline is six to eight weeks, which would give him a couple of games before the playoffs.

This is a brutal blow for the veteran, who was just returning from a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the apst three games. Evans suffered this latest injury in the first half of tonight’s game after nearly hauling in a deep pass from Baker Mayfield. The receiver stayed on the ground for a few moments before heading to the sideline. Evans was later carted to the locker room, with reports indicating he had suffered a shoulder injury and a concussion. The 32-year-old was held without a catch on four targets.

With Evans expected to miss much of the rest of the season, his historic streak of 11 straight seasons with 1,000-plus receiving yards will come to an end. The receiver has also averaged more than 11 touchdowns per season over the past five years. In four games this season, the veteran has hauled in 14 catches for 140 yards and a score.

The Buccaneers’ offense has dealt with its fair share of injuries in 2025. Chris Godwin didn’t make his season debut until Week 4 after rehabbing the fractured ankle he suffered during the 2024 campaign. Godwin got into two games before suffering a fibula injury that’s sidelined him for the past two weeks. The Buccaneers have also been without Jalen McMillan, who finished his rookie season with 500 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. Even running back Bucky Irving has missed a handful of games while dealing with foot and shoulder issues.

As a result of the injuries, the Buccaneers have had to lean on their depth. First rounder Emeka Egbuka has stepped up, hauling in 31 catches for 527 yards and five touchdowns. The rookie was questionable for tonight’s game with a hamstring injury but ended up being active. Seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson has hauled in scores in back-to-back weeks, while Sterling Shepard and Kameron Johnson continue to get offensive looks.

Still, while the Buccaneers have managed to get some offensive production elsewhere, the team will surely miss Evans as the season goes on. It sounded like Bowles didn’t dismiss a late-season return, so as long as the Buccaneers can remain in the hunt, there’s a chance they’ll get their WR leader back on the field before the postseason.

Egbuka not missing any games due to his hamstring issue giving the team a rare break at this injury-battered position. With Godwin uncertain moving forward, the Bucs will need to lean on their first-round pick. McMillan is not due back until at least December. While Tampa Bay could have its full receiver arsenal back by the holidays, the team will need to both lean on Egbuka and hope Godwin — who was not placed on the reserve/PUP list to start the season and has avoided IR related to his current injury — can return soon.

As for Evans, this deals a bit of a blow to his free agency stock. Playing an age-32 season, the likely Hall of Fame-bound pass catcher is on an expiring contract. He agreed to a two-year, $41MM deal just before free agency in 2024; although the Bucs have a well-established track record of re-signing key players shortly before free agency or early during the legal tampering period, the Egbuka pick and three-year, $66MM Godwin accord complicate Evans’ Tampa future. Evans also missed three games due to hamstring trouble in 2024.

Evans also said he will consider retirement after this season. Plenty of variables exist for the Bucs at wide receiver, but the team should still be well positioned by the end of the regular season.