Bucs Exercise Mike Evans’ Fifth-Year Option
The Buccaneers have exercised wide receiver Mike Evans‘ 2018 fifth-year option, general manager Jason Licht announced today.
While the NFL hasn’t yet announced the fifth-year option figures for 2018, wide receivers selected within the top-10 picks will earn $12.268MM for the 2017 campaign, so Evans figures to rake in slightly more under the terms of his option. That salary made the decision an easy one for Tampa Bay, and the club is interested in inking Evans to a long-term deal, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
Evans, 23, has lived up to his draft status since being chosen with the seventh overall pick in 2014. He’s topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons, and posted his best overall campaign in 2016. Last year, Evans put up 96 receptions for 1,321 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 2016 Pro Bowler will count for roughly $4.6MM on the Buccaneers’ salary during the upcoming season.
Evans becomes the fifth member of the 2014 draft class to see his fifth-year option be picked up, joining Jadeveon Clowney (Texans), Aaron Donald (Rams), Kelvin Benjamin (Panthers), and Zack Martin (Cowboys).
Cowboys, Falcons, Bucs Eyeing Justin Evans
Texas A&M Justin Evans has a strong chance of being selected in the back end of the first round of the draft, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com, and the Cowboys, Falcons, and Buccaneers are among the NFL teams with the most interest in the defensive back prospect.
Evans has met with both Dallas and Atlanta, per Pauline. The Cowboys saw a high percentage of their defensive secondary leave during the free agent period, and two of their top three safeties — Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox — signed multi-year deals with rival clubs. The Falcons, meanwhile, may view Evans as an improvement over incumbent defender Ricardo Allen, as Evans would give head coach Dan Quinn an Earl Thomas-esque defender, per Pauline. Dallas and Atlanta hold the No. 28 and No. 31 picks, respectively.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, likely won’t let Evans get past them in second round, where they own the No. 50 selection. Tampa Bay inked Wilcox last month, but could still use more depth in a safety group that was among the league’s worst in 2016. Chris Conte, Keith Tandy, and Ryan Smith comprise the remainder of the Bucs’ safety depth chart.
Evans has also met with the Dolphins during the predraft process.
Vincent Jackson Interested In Bucs Reunion
Free agent wide receiver Vincent Jackson has fielded inquiries from interested NFL clubs, but it sounds as though he’d prefer to return to the Buccaneers. Appearing on 620 WDAE Friday, Jackson maintained that while he isn’t currently working on a deal with Tampa Bay, he feels he’d be a solid fit in Dirk Koetter‘s offense.
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“I’m just going to wait until the right opportunity presents itself,” Jackson said (link via JoeBucsFan.com). “I’m assuming it may be later this spring/early summer when people can kind of evaluate their roster, get through the draft, and know exactly what they need and what the value is. For me man, I’m being patient.”
Jackson, 34, appeared in only five games for the Buccaneers in 2016 after suffering an ACL injury. During that time, he caught 15 of 32 targets for 173 yards and zero touchdowns. Tampa Bay reportedly discussed a potential reunion with Jackson, but general manager Jason Licht hinted last month that Jackson’s time with the club may be over.
“We did have conversations with Vincent,” Licht said. “I have the utmost respect for him. Everybody in the organization does. In my mind, in head coach Dirk [Koetter’s] mind, in the owners’ minds, he’ll be a Buc for life. So whatever happens happens, but we’ll always want Vincent to be around the organization.”
The Buccaneers already added another veteran receiver this offseason, inking DeSean Jackson to a three-year deal worth $33.5MM. He’ll pair with Pro Bowler Mike Evans to give Tampa Bay a solid starting pass-catching tandem. The rest of the Bucs’ wide receiver depth chart is comprised of Adam Humphries, Josh Huff, Freddie Martino, Donteea Dye, and Bernard Reedy.
FSU RB Dalvin Cook’s Stock Slipping?
Florida State running back Dalvin Cook is continuing to tumble down draft boards due to off-field concerns, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). NFL clubs are reportedly worried about the group of advisers surrounding Cook, and aren’t confident he’ll be able to remove himself from questionable personal ties that litter his past.
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This isn’t the first time Cook’s character concerns have come to the surface, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com recently reported that teams are being scared off by Cook’s off-field issues. But clubs are also apprehensive of Cook’s “inconsistent” workout performances, per Cole. As I noted in PFR’s first 2017 mock draft, Cook tested in the seventh percentile in SPARQ score, a metric that analyzes athleticism. Given that NFL teams are already wary of selecting running backs early in the draft, Cook’s disappointing athletic testing could force him down the board even further.
One club that is keeping tabs on Cook is the Buccaneers, who have now met with him multiple times and sent national scout Byron Kiefer and director of player personnel John Spytek to Cook’s Pro Day in March, reports Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Tampa Bay’s backfield is in flux given the murky status of Doug Martin, who is suspended for the first three games of 2017. But Martin is attending Buccaneers workouts and is reportedly “all good” following a rehab stint, which may lessen the need for Tampa to spend a draft pick on a runner.
Other teams that have met with Cook during the predraft process include the Eagles, Browns, Jaguars, 49ers, Bengals, and Redskins.
Dalvin Cook Visiting Buccaneers
- Florida State running back Dalvin Cook is on his way to Tampa Bay to visit the Buccaneers, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Cook, who was college teammates with Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston in 2014, joins Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon as the second draft-bound runner Tampa Bay has eyed in the past week. Cook figures to come off the board in the first round. The Buccaneers are slated to pick 19th.
Six Teams To Meet With Mo Alie-Cox
The jump from basketball to football may not be easy, but Mo Alie-Cox has plenty of believers in the NFL. The former Virginia Commonwealth University forward is already slated to visit the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Jets, Colts, Seahawks, and Chargers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. More teams could request to meet with the 6’7″ athlete, Rapoport adds. 
Alie-Cox held an open audition for NFL teams recently and it seems like more than half the league had scouts in attendance. In addition to the aforementioned clubs, reps from the Bears, Lions, Dolphins, Vikings, 49ers, Browns, Patriots, Redskins, and Steelers were in the house (via Lane Casadonte of WTVR on Twitter).
Despite his lack of gridiron experience, teams are intrigued by Alie-Cox’s combination of size and athleticism. He is looking to play tight end and follow in the footsteps of Tony Gonzalez, Julius Thomas, Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates, and other TE standouts with basketball backgrounds. At the same time, he is open to playing other positions and he took requests from scouts to perform drills that were suited for different roles.
What really sets Alie-Cox apart from other young NFL hopefuls is that he is not draft eligible and, therefore, can be signed as a free agent. A team that is really high on the hoopster could see this as an opportunity to effectively acquire a late-round draft pick for nothing.
Latest On Buccaneers RB Doug Martin
Running back Doug Martin has met with the Buccaneers and is expected to be present for the beginning of the club’s offseason program on Monday, according to Roy Cummings of FanRag. Martin reportedly entered a treatment facility following the announcement of a four-game PED ban, and Tampa Bay sources tell Cummings that Martin is now “all good.”
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The Buccaneers may yet retain Martin, and are expected to let the Martin situation “play out” before making a final decision. Part of the reason for that stance is contractual — because Martin was suspended, his previously guaranteed $7MM base salary for the 2017 campaign is no longer guaranteed. Additionally, Martin is banned until Week 3 of next season, so Tampa doesn’t have to make a call on Martin until nearly a month into the season.
If Tampa Bay’s offseason moves at the running back position are any indication, the club may be willing to give Martin another chance. The Buccaneers did re-sign Jacquizz Rodgers to a two-year deal, but otherwise left their backfield unchanged. Charles Sims, Peyton Barber, and Russell Hansbrough are the other backs currently on Tampa’s roster.
Of course, the Buccaneers could consider a running back at some point in the draft, including at pick No. 19. They’ve met with a number of backs over the past several weeks, including controversial Oklahoma prospect Joe Mixon.
Buccaneers Rework J.R. Sweezy’s Contract
J.R. Sweezy signed a five-year, $32.5MM deal with the Buccaneers last year but has yet to play for his new team. After the sixth-year guard missed his entire first season with the Bucs, he will move forward on a reworked contract that’s emerged as a result of the injury struggles, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com.
Originally scheduled to earn $5MM in 2017 thanks to $2.5MM base salary and a $2.5MM roster bonus, Sweezy can now take in that same total through different mechanisms. The veteran guard’s new base salary is $3.75MM, while the additional $1.25MM will have to be made up through per-game roster bonuses. He’ll earn those bonuses if he’s on the active roster, or on injured reserve with something other than a back injury
Sweezy will also see his base figures from 2018-20 slashed by $1.25MM from 2018-20. Those previously resided at $6.5MM (2018), $5.75MM (’19) and $5.75MM (’20). Although, the 28-year-old guard now has availability-based escalators in the contract that will bump up those bases. Those escalators — which are worth the same $1.25MM — are tied to a 70 percent playing-time threshold during the previous season, Yates reports.
Additionally, Yates adds that split-salary language is now included in the ensuing three years of his contract, in an effort to protect the Bucs from further missed time from the ex-Seahawks guard. Jason Licht said Sweezy was cleared at the end of last season. His return to health would stand to benefit a Buccaneers offensive front that ranked 29th in the league last season. That’s down from fifth in 2015.
While Sweezy will have a chance to earn the original amount of his contract, he’ll must overcome his troublesome back injury to do so. Sweezy missed the 2016 minicamp, training camp and the entire season due to a severe disc-related problem in his back.
This marks the second time Tampa Bay adjusted Sweezy’s contract, Yates reports, noting that the Bucs pushed back the vesting date of his 2017 base salary guarantee to April 7 instead of March 14.
Joe Mixon Visits Buccaneers
- Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon visited the Buccaneers this week, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. The potential second- or third-round pick could be a fit for a Tampa Bay team whose incumbent starting running back, Doug Martin, isn’t a lock to remain with the club. Even if Martin doesn’t lose his roster spot, he’ll still miss the first three games of next season as a result of a suspension.
Buccaneers Meet With Adoree' Jackson
- The Buccaneers are hosting USC cornerback Adoree’ Jackson on Monday, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Jackson, who ranks as Daniel Jermiah of NFL.com‘s 37th overall player, would give Tampa Bay another young defensive back after the team spent a first-round pick on Vernon Hargreaves in 2016. Also a dynamic returner, Jackson could augment a Buccaneers special teams unit that was below average on both kick and punt returns last year.