Buffalo Bills: 3 trade packages to go all-in on Mike Evans
By Ryan Heckman
Throughout the course of the 2022 offseason, the Buffalo Bills have seen a small shift within their wide receiving core.
Free agency saw the Bills wave goodbye to veterans Jamison Crowder and Cole Beasley, while bringing in a couple of younger guys in Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty.
Still, the depth chart is lacking that big-time, playmaking threat opposite of Stefon Diggs. Once-thought breakout candidate Gabriel Davis hasn’t lived up to those expectations just yet, and this is a team which is ready to win a Super Bowl. They need to add a talent at receiver.
A bit further south, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are somewhere between rebuilding and reloading, after letting go of a few veterans and saying goodbye to Tom Brady this offseason. One specific veteran, Mike Evans, is another guy who could be moved as the Bucs head into a new reality. With one year left on his contract, it doesn’t feel like Evans will be around much longer in Tampa, and he’d be a phenomenal addition to this Bills team.
What would it take to land him? Let’s look at a few different packages.
The Buffalo Bills should go all-in on acquiring wide receiver Mike Evans, en route to a Super Bowl
Trade Number 1
In this first trade, the Bills simply offer a fourth-round pick in exchange for Evans. This is merely a 1-year rental for the Bills, at surface level. With Stefon Diggs locked down on a big deal, we wouldn’t know if Buffalo could end up re-signing Evans following the 2023 season or not.
One would like to think so, and if they did, then a fourth rounder would be a pretty fair deal for both sides. By the time August of this year rolls around, Evans will turn 30 years old. Now, he isn’t slowing down anytime soon. He looks like he could very well play another few years, which would be in Evans’ advantage when talking a new contract in Buffalo.
The Bills only come into this year’s draft with six picks, overall, so trading one pick for Evans would bring them down to a measly five selections. At that stage, general manager Brandon Beane would likely end up trading back in the first or second round to acquire more capital. But, the wide receiver position would be solidified, and this offense could be far better in 2023.