Mike Evans Compares Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield to College Football Legend

Mike Evans played with one of the college football greats in college, and he sees a lot of that player in Baker Mayfield.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and general manager Jason Licht put together what has arguably been one of their best free agencies since luring Tom Brady to Tampa Bay. Many doubted that the Bucs would be able to retain all of their key free agents, but they did just that.

Perhaps two of the most important re-signings for the Bucs were QB Baker Mayfield and WR Mike Evans. The two only played a singular season together in 2023, but the results showed brightly as the veteran players seemingly forged a connection quickly.

We will now get to see at least a couple more seasons of Baker and Evans in the red and pewter as they look to expand on what they have already accomplished together. 

For Mike Evans, Baker isn’t the first outgoing quarterback he has played alongside. Evans, a product of Texas A&M, also experienced playing with Johnny Manziel during his time in College Station, and when speaking with TexAgs Radio, the standout wide receiver compared his current QB to the one he played with in College Station.

“Man, Baker, man, he surprised me a lot,” Evans said on TexAgs Radio. “With not his game, I knew he was a really good player, just how he is as a leader and a teammate. He really surprised me a lot. He’s similar to Johnny, his playing style. I mean, really similar. So it was easy to adjust to play with him. Shorter quarterback. Great athlete. Throws like a baseball player, like really tight spiral. Really good arm. Improvise, can do all those things. Super tough. So I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this year.”

The similarities between Johnny Football and Baker are uncanny. They both possess unquestionable swagger and moxie, both won the Heisman Trophy, and both were selected in the first round of the draft by the Cleveland Browns. Where things differ is that Manziel is no longer in the league, while Baker is resurrecting his professional career after a coupl of years of not knowing where he stood.

If Baker and Evans can replicate what they did in 2023 the sky is the limit and would likely net Evans his 11th consecutive season of 1,000 receiving yards.