The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans could become one of the NFL's highest-paid wide receivers with his next contract.

Evans is expected to earn an annual salary of "somewhere between $25 million and $30 million" in 2024, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan M. Alexander.

The Philadelphia Eagles' A.J. Brown, Los Angeles Rams' Cooper Kupp, Las Vegas Raiders' Davante Adams and Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill are the only wide receivers currently earning annual salaries in that range.

Evans led the Buccaneers into the playoffs with his 10th consecutive 1,000-yard campaign in 2023.

Having completed the final season of the five-year, $16.5 million AAV contract he signed with Tampa Bay in 2018, Evans is now set to enter free agency in March.

Evans, 30, received interest from other teams before the 2023 season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

"My understanding is several teams tried to trade for him before the season," Rapoport said on a Jan. 21 episode of NFL Game Day. "He wanted an extension. The Bucs were not ready to go there yet."

The Buccaneers and Evans haggled over the extension for two years but were not able to reach a compromise, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine.

Evans prioritized guarantees over the length of the deal, Laine reported. That was believed to be a problem for a Buccaneers ownership group strapped for salary after borrowing almost $100 million to pay former quarterback Tom Brady from 2020 to 2022, according to Laine.

Evans has collected about $110 million from the Buccaneers since 2014, according to Rapoport, making him the highest-paid player in franchise history.

The wide receiver made it to the 1,000-yard benchmark in an explosive Week 13 victory over the Carolina Panthers. The win marked his 13th career game with 150-plus yards and his 26th with at least 100 yards.

That game made Evans the first player in NFL history to start his career with 10 consecutive quadruple-digit receiving yardage totals. He is now just one year away from tying the record set by Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who recorded 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons between 1986 and 1996.

Evans finished the season with 1,255 receiving yards, ranking him among the 10 most prolific receivers in the NFL and all but guaranteeing himself a significant raise for next year. The question now is whether the Buccaneers can afford what it will take to keep him on the roster in 2024.