The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a long history of great players. From Lee Roy Selmon to Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp to Lavonte David, the Bucs have always turned out Hall of Fame caliber players. However, as you may notice, they have always been defensive players.
However, that has changed over the last decade. I am of course referring to star wide receiver Mike Evans, who has recorded over 1,000 receiving yards in every season and at least 12 touchdowns in 5 of those 10 years. He is without a doubt the best offensive player in Buccaneers history.
But I want to look at a bigger scale than just Bucs history. Evans’ greatness is being cemented among the best wide receivers to ever play the game. It’s also something that I think is flying under the radar nationally.
We often hear rhetoric that “Evans was never the best at his position” or that “his stats are just a longevity award”. In reality, the truth is a different story. Evans is achieving rare heights and he is doing it faster than most in NFL history.
And keep in mind that Evans is still writing his story. He is currently on a two year contract going into his age 31 season. This realistically gives him a two year window to reach the milestones that would count him among the best to ever play the game and solidify him as a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Here’s what I mean.
Mike Evans is on his way to joining the 14,000 receiving yards and 110 receiving touchdowns club.
There are only six players in the history of the NFL who have recorded at least 14,000 receiving yards and 110 touchdown catches. Those players are Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, Larry Fitzgerald, and Tony Gonzalez. Undoubtedly, this is the shortlist of greatest pass catchers of all time.
This is the group that Evans is attempting to join. He currently sits at 11,680 yards and 94 touchdowns. If he can maintain his current level of play, Evans would have to average 1,160 yards and 8 touchdowns over the next two seasons to hit those marks.
This looks like a fairly typical season for Evans on paper. He has hit that receiving yards number four times in his career and that touchdown total seven times. If he stays healthy then he will very likely hit those totals over the next two seasons.
Assuming Evans plays in all 17 games in both years, this would bring him up to 188 career games played. This would put him well ahead of the pace of both Gonzalez and Fitzgerald and only looking up at is probably the best four receivers to ever play the game.
Anything that comes after these next two years feels like it would just be gravy for Evans. If he were to play another five years after that he could chase the Larry Fitzgerald path and attempt to land in the top two or three of these categories, but at that point he will already be a lock for the Hall of Fame.
For our purposes, as Bucs fans, these next two years are all that matters. Reaching these milestones all with one team is special (only Rice, Harrison and Fitzgerald have reached these goals with one team). Not to mention what the team can accomplish on the field with Evans continuing to play at a high level.
Enjoy these next two seasons of Mike Evans, Bucs Nation. You will probably never see anything like this again in a Buccaneers uniform because almost no one has ever done it before. It is watching greatness that most fans will never experience.
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