Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Mike Evans Quietly Having Best Season of His Career
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had one of the best receivers of all time on their roster since they drafted Mike Evans in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Since then all the Buccaneers star has done is set the bar for receiver production with 10 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons - and counting - to start a career, becoming one of just two to have that many in a row in the NFL's entire history.
The other receiver, Jerry Rice, also earned his 10th Pro Bowl selection and ninth First-Team All-Pro spot in the same season he hit 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons.
Evans, in his 10th, will make the Pro Bowl for the fifth time and earn his first First-Team All-Pro selection this season if there's any justice in the football world. All because even without the great Tom Brady playing quarterback, he's having the best season of his career - so far.
“I hadn’t seen the early Mike Evans," coach Todd Bowles said of his star. "But, the Mike Evans I’ve seen over the years, he continues to do everything day-in and day-out the way he’s been doing it. It seems like he’s ageless at this point with the stats he’s putting up, the numbers he’s putting up, the way he competes, and the way he goes out there to play.”
Oct 22, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) catches a touchdown pass in the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Evans is less than 400 yards and 30 receptions from setting career highs in those categories, and with two games left to play already has a career-high 13 touchdown catches this season.
Of all the receivers drafted in 2014, Evans is second in receptions behind only Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders who spent the first eight years of his career with future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Evans leads Adams in yards and touchdown receptions, however, and is currently on pace to enter the top 35 in catches, surpassing Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson in yards, and is six touchdowns from becoming just the ninth all-time to have 100.
Of course, if the Buccaneers clinch the NFC South Division title on Sunday with a win over the New Orleans Saints, he may have to wait until next year to do some of that.
Surely, a year that will be the first under his new contract with the Bucs franchise that so fortuitously drafted him a decade ago.
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 season.
