Lee Evans told the Associated Press that he's hoping to return to the NFL next season. Evans was released by the Jaguars in training camp and spent the entire season out of football. He hasn't appeared in an NFL game since his infamous touchdown drop in last year's AFC Championship Game, and remains doubtful to make a comeback.

Coach Mike Mularkey explained that the Jaguars released Lee Evans Sunday because he can't play like he used to. "He's not the same player obviously and that's normally the case when you're nine years out of it," Mularkey said, adding that he wouldn't be surprised if Evans retired. "He's just struggling getting in and out of breaks and I think he felt the same way." Father Time appears to have caught up with Evans at age 31.

Jaguars released WR Lee Evans. The Jags will eat a $250,000 signing bonus paid to Evans in April. They're off the hook for the remainder of his one-year, $1.5 million deal. Evans was a somewhat surprising scratch for Jacksonville's Thursday night preseason opener, and it was because he was deemed no longer useful enough to carry through training camp. Evans may have reached the end of the line in his NFL career. The 31-year-old would have made the Jaguars if he could still play.

The Florida Times Union expects Lee Evans to compete with Cecil Shorts for the Jaguars No. 4 wide receiver job. With Laurent Robinson, Justin Blackmon, and Mike Thomas penciled in as the top-three, Evans is left to battle for a reserve job. Evans figures to back up Robinson and Blackmon on the outside, while Shorts steals snaps from Thomas in the slot.

According to Jaguars.com's John Oehser, Lee Evans looked in this week's minicamp like a player who can be "consistent, reliable, and productive" for the Jags this season. Oehser notes that Evans made impressive catches and moves on intermediate routes that were rarely seen from Jaguars receivers last season. While we believe Evans represents an upgrade in Jacksonville, we're not prepared to draft him in standard-sized fantasy leagues with questionable quarterbacking and playing time.

Jaguars agreed to terms with WR Lee Evans one a one-year contract. The deal will be finalized on Monday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. At least for a team so barren of receiver talent, we like the signing. Evans' 2011 season is hard to hold against him because he was injured the entire time, and the well-run Ravens liked what they saw on his 2010 game tape enough to surrender a fourth-round pick last August. Unless Evans' skill level evaporated all at once during his injury-plagued year in Baltimore, he should at least have a chance to contribute behind Laurent Robinson and Mike Thomas. You won't want any of them in fantasy football, of course.

The Bills' official website does not expect Buffalo to pursue a reunion with free agent Lee Evans. The Bills are still short a body or two in their receiver corps, but the now 31-year-old Evans is not the answer coming off his worst season. A deep threat, he also proved to be an ill fit with the weak-armed Ryan Fitzpatrick after he took over as the Bills' starting quarterback midway through the 2009 season. Evans has only met with the Jaguars since the beginning of free agency.

Coach Mike Mularkey confirms the Jaguars recently met with free agent Lee Evans, and says the sides are still talking. The Jags are the only team known to have kicked the tires on Evans since his March 3 release from the Ravens. Despite a rough 2011 that saw him make just four catches in nine games as he struggled with an ankle injury, Evans would immediately become the Jaguars' No. 2 wideout behind Laurent Robinson.

The Jaguars reportedly have interest in free agent WRs Lee Evans and Legedu Naanee.

GM Ozzie Newsome says Lee Evans' Friday release "does not close the door" on him returning to the Ravens. Newsome threw the same bouquet to CB Chris Carr in a press release announcing the players' release. Limited by an ankle injury his entire first season in Baltimore, Evans would be the much more likely candidate to return at a reduced price, but both players should be elsewhere in 2012.