“5 win team at best”- Mike Evans receives backlash for showing optimism in Bucs QB room ft. Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask

Mike Evans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not make a feared opponent last year. They made the playoffs at 8-9 because the NFC South was an abhorrent division, but now there is no Tom Brady. In his place will either be Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask.

Trask is a career backup and Mayfield is now on his fourth team in five years. It's his third team since roughly this time last year. The quarterback room isn't heralded across the league. Despite that, Evans believes in them.

The wide receiver who recorded another 1,000-yard season last year said:

"Kyle's improved a lot. I'm really impressed with what I've seen from Baker. Whoever the quarterback will be, I'm positive they're going to make the right choice and we're going to win some games."

NFL fans aren't buying it. They believe Tampa Bay does not have a good quarterback and are assured that Evans is wrong.

Evans has been the consummate performer with the Buccaneers. Through quite a few quarterback changes (many of them involved bad players), he has been a pillar of consistency. He's been one of the best wide receivers in football despite all of that.

Whether or not Trask or Mayfield will be decent remains to be seen, but Evans will likely produce regardless. His track record suggests as much.

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Mike Evans could be in for rough season

Despite Mike Evans' perceived confidence in his quarterbacks, the odds do not fall in Tampa Bay's favor. The post-Tom Brady era could be bad. In fact, oddsmakers have the team with the worst odds of winning the division:

• New Orleans Saints +135
• Atlanta Falcons +220
• Carolina Panthers +330
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers +700

How much will Mike Evans struggle?

Not only are they considered the least likely team to win the awful NFC South, it's not even close. The other three teams have fairly similar odds and the Buccaneers are far behind. There's no confidence in this team right now, even with Evans involved.