Mike Evans has played on some underwhelming teams throughout his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They missed the playoffs in six straight years to begin his career and in five of them the team finished with a record under .500. The last two seasons and this one have been much better, as they are looking to make the playoffs for a third straight year with Tom Brady under center.
The upgrade at quarterback was certainly a nice boost for the team overall, but no matter who was throwing the passes, Evans was producing. There are a ton of expectations that come from being a top-10 pick, as Evans was selected No. 7 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M after Sammy Watkins but earlier than Odell Beckham Jr.
Evans has lived up to and exceeded all of those expectations as he is arguably the most consistent wide receiver in the NFL. Some players may have standout seasons that end up being an outlier, but you can pencil Evans in for the same stats every year.
This past weekend in a must-win game against the Carolina Panthers, Evans had his best game of the 2022 season. He caught 10 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns, which went for 63, 57 and 30 yards, helping the Buccaneers to a 30-24 victory.
In the process, he broke the 1,000-yard plateau for the season, which set an NFL record. That gives Evans at least 1,000 yards in all nine of his seasons to start his career. The list of players to accomplish that feat in league history? Mike Evans and no one else.
That is a truly impressive feat for the former Aggie to achieve, especially given the erratic quarterback play that plagued Tampa Bay earlier in his career. Still only 29, Evans should have plenty more productive seasons ahead of him as he remains a matchup nightmare on the field given his imposing size and downfield skills.
