Evans (groin) has informed the Buccaneers that he will discontinue contract discussions Sept. 9, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

The deadline is one day before the Bucs kick off their season with a game in Minnesota. It appears Evans will suit up regardless of the contract situation, as he practiced Thursday after dealing with a minor groin injury last week. He turned 30 a couple weeks ago and is entering the final season of a five-year, $82.5 million extension, with he and Chris Godwin serving as the far-and-away top options for new Bucs QB Baker Mayfield.

Evans (groin) is practicing Thursday and expected to play Week 1 at Minnesota, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

Evans was scheduled to play in the preseason finale but ended up being scratched with a groin injury that coach Todd Bowles described as minor. The wideout is now back practicing 10 days before the season opener, putting him on track to serve as one of QB Baker Mayfield's top two options along with long-time running mate Chris Godwin. The Bucs otherwise are counting on relatively inexperienced players at the skill positions, including RB Rachaad White and TE Cade Otton, with candidates for the No. 3 WR job being Trey Palmer, Deven Thompkins and Rakim Jarrett (all 23 or younger). Assuming no setbacks with the groin, Evans should be tasked with large target and route shares from the jump.

Head coach Todd Bowles said Sunday that Evans has been dealing with a groin injury, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reported that Evans was in line to see his first game action with Baker Mayfield during Saturday's preseason finale against the Ravens, but the dynamic wideout ultimately never took the field. It appears that decision was out of an abundance of caution, as Bowles added Evans didn't need to play Saturday and would've been okay to suit up if it had been a regular season game. Either way, Evans' groin injury, whether minor or not, is a storyline worth following with just two weeks left before Tampa Bay opens the 2023 campaign in Minnesota.

Evans will have his first in-game opportunity to play with newly named starting quarterback Baker Mayfield in Saturday's preseason finale against the Ravens, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Mayfield was named the starting quarterback Tuesday after winning a tightly contested job battle with Kyle Trask. The Buccaneers then announced the 2018 first overall pick would play the first half versus Baltimore along with Evans and Chris Godwin, giving the trio their first in-game opportunity to work together. Evans and the rest of his offensive teammates have been learning new coordinator Dave Canales' system since OTAs, and the veteran wideout should be a constant presence on the heavy dose of short and intermediate throws the scheme calls for.

Evans isn't slated to play in Friday's preseason contest against the Steelers, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Both Evans and Chris Godwin aren't suiting up for the Buccaneers' exhibition opener, meaning Russell Gage, Trey Palmer, Deven Thompkins and David Moore, among others, will be the wide receivers available to the offense. Evans' next chance for some preseason action will arrive Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Jets.

Evans has made several noteworthy plays in the first three days of training camp and particularly showed good chemistry with Baker Mayfield in Friday's practice, Brianna Dix of the team's official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

The four-time Pro Bowler is going to see an appreciable quarterback downgrade this season whether it's Mayfield or Kyle Trask under center, considering whoever prevails in their summer job battle will be succeeding the legendary Tom Brady. However, Evans naturally enjoyed plenty of success in Tampa Bay prior to Brady's arrival in 2020, and Friday, Dix notes the emerging chemistry between him and the 2018 first-overall pick was on display in the form of a crossing pattern that resulted in a touchdown as well as on several sideline and over-the-middle grabs. Evans should once again see significant volume in the coming season as a co-No.1 receiver, at minimum, alongside Chris Godwin.

Evans brought in six of 11 targets for 74 yards in the Buccaneers' 31-14 wild-card loss to the Cowboys on Monday night. He also caught a two-point conversion pass.

EDGE Analysis

Evans finished third in receptions and tied for second in receiving yards and targets on the night for the Buccaneers, a solid finish to an up-and-down season. Evans finished the regular campaign with 77 receptions for 1,124 yards and six touchdowns across 15 games, with three of his scores coming in a memorable Week 17 performance versus the Panthers. While Evans, who'll be only 30 when next season begins, has a cap hit of just under $24 million for 2023 per Spotrac, he'd also carry a dead cap hit of over $21 million if released; therefore he's expected to once again play a key role for Tampa Bay, although who he'll catch passes from remains an unknown as the offseason begins.

Evans (illness) was a full practice participant Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

After hauling in 10 of 12 targets for 207 yards and three touchdowns to help the Buccaneers clinch the NFC South with a win against the Panthers in Week 17, Evans didn't log a snap before being ruled out due to an illness this past Sunday in Atlanta. With the benefit of three days to rest and recover, though, he managed to log every rep during Tampa Bay's first practice in advance of Monday's wild-card game against the Cowboys. As a result, Evans will join forces with Chris Godwin as the top wide receivers available to quarterback Tom Brady.

Evans won't return to Sunday's game against the Falcons due to an illness.

EDGE Analysis

Prior to his exit from the contest, Evans didn't catch a pass. The wideout will thus target a return to action next weekend, when the Buccaneers open their playoff slate.

Evans brought in 10 of 12 targets for 207 yards and three touchdowns in the Buccaneers' 30-24 win over the Panthers on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

Evans seemingly took out a season's worth of frustration in one afternoon on an undermanned Panthers secondary, finding pay dirt down the right sideline from 63, 57 and 30 yards out. The latter two scores came in the fourth quarter and allowed the Buccaneers to overcome an 11-point deficit, and both the reception and receiving yardage totals served as season highs. Evans' touchdowns were also his first since Week 4, and he'll now aim to build some additional momentum ahead of the postseason in a Week 18 road matchup against the Falcons.