TAMPA, Fla. — Shame about Mike Evans, wasn’t it?

You thought he’d go straight from a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform to a gold Hall of Fame sports coat in Canton. But, hey, not every story ends happily when money is involved.

Concerning about Baker Mayfield, isn’t it?

He seems to appreciate Tampa Bay and Bucs fans certainly love him in abundance. But quarterback contracts are crazy expensive so I guess you can’t blame the Glazers for not immediately coming to terms with Baker on a new extension.

Shocking about Vita Vea, don’t you think?

The guy has been this franchise’s best interior lineman not named Warren Sapp and has quietly performed at a high level for close to a decade. But now he’s so unhappy, he’s asked for a trade rather than complete the final season of his contract in Tampa Bay.

Taken individually, each of these contract situations can be defended from management’s perspective. We’re talking about players in their 30s in a sport that makes no concession for age. Tying up too much money in older players is not the blueprint for salary cap flexibility in the NFL.

On the other hand … ARRGGGHHHHH!

You could make a pretty good case that, going into 2025, these were the three most irreplaceable players on the roster. And yet, by the end of the 2026 season, all three could be mere memories in Tampa Bay. What does that say about the franchise’s future? Better yet, what does it say about ownership’s commitment to winning?

If that sounds like a shot at the Glazer family, then so be it. As a whole, the Glazers have been wonderful caretakers of Tampa Bay’s biggest sports franchise. They’ve stayed in the background (an admirable quality in owners), they’ve been generous in the community (often without fanfare) and they’ve won a pair of Super Bowls (which is two more than the previous owner).

They’ve taken big swings at head coaches (trading for Jon Gruden, pursuing Bill Parcells and Jimmy Johnson), and they’ve spent big bucks chasing a Super Bowl (acquiring Keyshawn Johnson and Brad Johnson ahead of Super Bowl 37, bringing in Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski before Super Bowl 55).

But they’ve also had long stretches where they seemed to be more interested in banking their profits rather than reinvesting in the roster.

And that’s where we’re at today.

There was bound to be a readjusting of the salary cap after Tom Brady and Co. won it all at the end of the 2020 season. The Bucs took one more shot at a Super Bowl in 2021, but went into a downsizing mode after that. And that was fine. Almost unavoidable.

The problem is the process is still ongoing five years later.

Think about it. Who is the biggest free agent the Bucs have signed since then? Russell Gage? Akiem Hicks? Jordan Whitehead? Haason Reddick? They struck gold with both Mayfield and Shaquil Barrett in free agency, but those were front office victories rather than splashy, ownership expenditures.

Which brings us to the opening of training camp Wednesday.

The storyline is not how the Bucs might improve in 2026 but rather who’s taking an Uber to the airport.

Look, I don’t think the Bucs are going to trade Vea. That would be a white flag before the season even begins. And I don’t think Vea will pout or refuse to play. It’s not in his best interests for the next contract that he’s obviously angling for.

But instead of having one unresolved contract situation with their quarterback, the Bucs now have a second one involving their most acclaimed player on defense. And that’s after watching Evans walk out the door a few months ago.

Of course, the Bucs could argue that they offered Evans more money than he got in San Francisco but that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for the team’s direction. If Evans would rather leave the only locker room he’s ever known for a smaller salary 3,000 miles away, it feels like an indictment of the team’s immediate future.

Now, is it possible this is simply a series of unfortunate circumstances for the Bucs? I suppose so.

We don’t know how much guaranteed money Mayfield and Vea are seeking. Perhaps their demands are so out of touch with reality that the Bucs are actually being prudent.

The problem is there is so much other circumstantial evidence that you’re inclined to lean toward the side of skepticism. If the Bucs couldn’t sign Evans, if they haven’t pursued free agents, if they’ve allowed a handful of cornerbacks to take bigger deals elsewhere, then maybe the underlying problem is in the owner’s suite.

And, unless they break out the checkbook in a hurry, this team is headed for a fall in the near future.

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