Jason Licht: Bucs made Mike Evans "a significantly higher offer" than 49ers

The Buccaneers wanted Mike Evans to return, hoping he would finish his career with the team. The wide receiver, though, was looking for a "new challenge," according to Bucs General Manager Jason Licht.Reports before Evans decided on his future indicated he was being offered $27 million per year. He signed a three-year, $42.5 million deal with the 49ers.Licht said Wednesday that the Bucs offered more than the 49ers paid Evans."He means everything to me," Licht said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, "but he means everything to the entire organization. Obviously, he's the best offensive player we've ever had and an even better person than he is a player. So, it's always tough. That one was really tough. . . . We made a significantly higher offer, and that was just the first offer."It became pretty clear that he and his family were just ready, like he said publicly, for another chapter. And ideally, of course, you'd want him to be a one-helmet player. But if you look back, there are several of those great players in that category. Dan Marino comes to mind, because I was there. You know, Barry Sanders and all of those. But then for...