Death, taxes, and Mike Evans eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards are life’s three most certain things. No matter who the quarterback has been throwing to Evans over his 11 years in the NFL, the result is the same: going over the century mark.
Traditionally, quarterback is one of the most stable positions on an NFL roster. Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, that simply has not been the case, as Evans has seen a laundry list of quarterbacks in his decade of work with the Bucs.
- Josh McCown
- Mike Glennon
- Jameis Winston
- Ryan Fitzpatrick
- Tom Brady
- Baker Mayfield
Coming off a Week 3 loss to the Denver Broncos, in which Evans converted two of his three targets for just 17 yards, head coach Todd Bowles said that the team must get him the ball more. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen and quarterback Baker Mayfield understood the assignment. Evans was targeted 14 times against the Philadelphia Eagles—the most since Week 7 of the 2022 season—finishing the afternoon with 8 receptions for 94 yards and 1 touchdown.
Evans’s touchdown on Sunday would make him the Buccaneers’ all-time scoring leader. He is just one of three non-kickers to be a franchise scoring leader with Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice.
Following Sunday’s game, Bucs All-Pro offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs was asked about playing with someone like Evans. “Get his gold jacket. He should have one,” Wirfs said. Wirfs continued his praise of the Bucs WR, adding that he should be inducted right away. I don’t know if they’ve inducted somebody early, but they should.”
As Evans eyes Rice’s 11-straight 1,000-yard seasons, the conversation is more of a conversation about when Evans gets inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.