The NFL finally kicked off the 2023 season last night with a bout between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions.

The game was settled by a point in favor of a very scrappy Lions team that should grow into an NFC contender before our eyes, but one of the bigger storylines from that game is how the Chiefs gave it away rather than the Lions stealing victory.

Chiefs wide receiver dropping passes left and right probably was the difference in at least one full touchdown at least, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be taking careful notes in regards to the unfolding Mike Evans drama.

Everyone has heard about Evans and the Bucs at this point. Evans wants to get paid like one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. The Bucs want to save cap space to keep the roster intact over the long run.

Both sides have compelling arguments in their favor, but the way the Chiefs lost last night should make the Buccaneers even more focused on finding a way to keep Evans in Tampa.

Despite spending draft picks and making trades for receivers, the Chiefs' pass-catching corps looked terrible last night. An injury to Travis Kelce hit this team hard.

That is a situation the Bucs can't get to. If Evans is traded, that leaves Chris Godwin as the top guy. Godwin is an excellent receiver and could absolutely be the top guy, but his injury history is way worse than Kelce's.

Do you see where this is going?

The Chiefs can survive the ordeal of last night by having Travis Kelce back on the field. That seems likely to happen. Godwin missing any stretch of games on a Bucs team without Mike Evans would be equally catastrophic, even if some of the younger Buccaneer receivers look good.

Wide receiver has simply become too valuable in the modern NFL. Two guys that are dominant receivers has essentially become the minimum for success in modern football, and the Bucs moving off of Evans for any reason sets them back dramatically.

No one is saying the Bucs should write Evans a blank check, but last night showed us just how capped a team can be if it doesn't plan for the worst at the wide receiver position.

For that reason and many more, the Bucs need to quickly solve the issues with Mike Evans and ensure the offense keeps humming beyond 2023.

Buccaneers have impossible decision to make with WR Mike Evans

It won’t be easy for the Buccaneers.