Throughout his 10 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mike Evans has consistently delivered impressive performances, achieving over 1,000 receiving yards in each season, setting a record for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start a career.

This offseason, there was a possibility that Evans‘ successful journey, which includes a Super Bowl victory, two All-Pro honors and five Pro Bowl selections, could have come to an end.

Ultimately, he chose to stay with the Buccaneers, signing a two-year, $52 million contract, largely because he couldn’t imagine being away from his family. His wife, Ashli, played a key role in his decision, urging him to remain in Southwest Florida during a dinner date.

In a conversation with the NFL Network, Evans shared that he had been considering two AFC teams during his free agency period.

“I mean, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking Houston, Kansas City,” he said. “I love Pat Mahomes‘ game. I’m thinking those two teams. And I’m obviously thinking the Bucs.

“I’ve been here my whole career. And that was a goal of mine, obviously. It would’ve been extremely hard to leave here. But this is where my family knows. My kids were born here. My wife’s been here a long time.”

The Kansas City Chiefs, one of the teams Evans considered, eventually signed Marquise Brown and drafted Xavier Worthy. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans made a major move by trading for Stefon Diggs.

Liam Coen’s arrival

Evans‘ decision to re-sign with the Buccaneers came after the hiring of offensive coordinator Liam Coen from the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Dave Canales, who took the head coaching position with the Carolina Panthers.

“I like [Coen],” he noted. “I talked to him even before I re-signed. That’s another reason I wanted to sign back. He had all these plans to continue giving me the ball. I love to hear that. That just makes me happy.”