Buccaneers' Mike Evans: No contract developments expected before regular season

Evans, whose fifth-year option the Bucs are expected to pick up in May, doesn't figure to have a new contract before the 2017 regular season begins, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "We have plenty of time here,'' general manager Jason Licht said. "He's a very good player and he knows it's no secret, we want to keep him for a very long time.''

Analysis:

Evans has endeared himself to Bucs brass with a combined 3,578 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns over his first three NFL seasons, and there's little doubt that the Bucs will ensure he never gets close to sniffing unrestricted free agency. However, once they pick up the option for a fifth season as expected, he'll automatically be under team control through the 2018 season at a minimum, giving both the club and Evans plenty of time to hammer out the details of a long-term deal that would presumably keep the towering wideout in Tampa for the prime years of his career. The Bucs would also have the option of utilizing the franchise tag on Evans for the 2019 season in the unlikely event a new contract hasn't been agreed upon by that point.