The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been blessed with great players over their 50 seasons as a franchise. From the early days of the creamsicle jerseys with Lee Roy Selmon to the vaunted defensive days with Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp and Ronde Barber, the Bucs have had no shortage of Hall of Fame players.
There are a couple of players on the Bucs’ current roster who will have their names etched in Canton one day. Lavonte David, despite never getting the recognition he rightly deserves, is one of the best linebackers to ever play the game. The other is wide receiver Mike Evans, who, like David, hasn’t quite gotten the respect he deserves.
This past season, Evans secured his 11th straight 1,000-yard receiving season, tying him with the NFL’s best receiver of all time, Jerry Rice, for such seasons.
Evans, who linked up with Rice following the tying of his record, has the blessing of the greatest wide receiver of all time to break the record. Evans’s chase of breaking Rice’s record will be one to watch this upcoming season and is exactly why CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan has it as a major milestone to watch in 2025.
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Jan 5, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) celebrates after a reception to put him over 1,000 yards for the season in the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
“One of the highlights of the final week of the 2024 regular season came when Mike Evans topped 1,000 yards receiving on the final play of the game. That kept his streak of 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons alive, and tied the record that is now co-owned between Evans and San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice. If Evans puts together another 1,000-yard campaign in 2025, he’ll own the record outright, making it 12 straight years for the future Hall of Fame receiver,” wrote Sullivan. “Evans also currently ranks ninth on the all-time receiving touchdowns list with 105 scores. If he were to find the end zone 11 times like he did in 2024, he’d move above Tony Gonzalez (111) on the all-time list and find himself in a tie with Antonio Gates (116).”
Evans tied Rice’s record by the skin of his teeth a season ago, notching 1,000 yards on the last play of the final regular season game. Getting a 12th consecutive season of 1,000 yards receiving would not only break the consecutive seasons streak, but it would also place him two years from Rice’s total number of 1,000-yard seasons of 14.
Evans has been pretty open about the records he is chasing but doesn’t put too much emphasis on whether or not they will decide when he chooses to hang up the cleats and retire. Evans will enter this season at 32 years of age, and despite not seeing a major decline in production, he is no longer in his prime.
If Evans can secure the record over Rice, I wouldn’t put it past him to continue hunting the down legend as long as he continues to produce 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Evans has all the opportunity in the world to surpass Rice this season. He is one of the most consistent wide receivers in the game, and even when missing time due to injury, has continued to show up and put up 1,000 yards.
