From his days as a young Texas A&M Aggies star to now being a Tampa Bay Buccaneers icon, Mike Evans is simply timeless.
Last week, the 31-year-old wide receiver secured his 11th-straight season with at least 1,000 yards, tying the legendary Jerry Rice for the longest such streak in NFL history. To honor such a remarkable streak, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared Jan. 10 as “Mike Evans Day” state-wide.
This week, Evans is at it again.
Late in the second quarter of Sunday night’s playoff game against the Washington Commanders, Evans hauled in a one-yard touchdown from Baker Mayfield to tie the game at 10 going into halftime. In the process, he became the Bucs’ all-time leader in postseason points scored for a non-kicker with 38 (per Pro Football Reference).
Evans finished the game with seven receptions for 92 yards and the aforementioned touchdown, even getting the better of his old rival Marshon Lattimore on several occasions. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t enough as the Commanders won 23-20 on a 37-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez as time expired. This marks Washington’s first playoff win since 2005 when it also defeated Tampa Bay on the road.
As an Aggie, Evans was nothing short of dominant. The Galveston native burst onto the scene with 82 receptions for 1,105 yards as a freshman in 2012. He then one-upped that by catching 69 passes for 1,394 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2013, and he also set the program record for most receiving yards in a game with 287 against the Auburn Tigers on Oct. 19. Those Aggies teams were among the most memorable ever, and Evans is a big reason why.
While the season ended earlier than Evans and co. would’ve liked, the veteran wideout will surely be back very soon.
