Evans: Bucs playing for something 'bigger' after relocating due to hurricane

Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans acknowledged his thoughts are with the Tampa Bay area after the team left the city Tuesday to avoid Hurricane Milton.

"We're not even just playing for just football now," Evans said, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine. "We're trying to play for something a little bit bigger."

Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm, equipped with sustained 120-mph winds, according to CBS News' Emily Mae Czachor. The hurricane center warned residents in Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg areas to shelter in place as the storm moved inland. Flooding and extensive damage are expected in the area.

Members of the Buccaneers, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, are making their second evacuation in 10 days after Hurricane Helene impacted the Florida Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm.

"We obviously have a job to do, and we're going to do that," Mayfield said, per the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud. "The games are still going to be played. But that's the hardest things, just making sure that everybody is good and just praying and hoping for the best."

The Bucs held their first of three practices Wednesday at Tulane ahead of their Week 6 match against the New Orleans Saints. The franchise secured more than 200 hotel rooms in Gainesville and Orlando to help members of its organization escape the storm, per Stroud.

Head coach Todd Bowles said the team plans to return home after Sunday's game but is prepared to keep the operations away from Tampa Bay if necessary based on the storm's aftermath. The Bucs will host the Baltimore Ravens for Monday Night Football on Oct. 21.