The Best Meet
May 15th, 2025
Legends Jerry Rice and Mike Evans link up.
There have been but two players in NFL history who have racked up 1,000 yards receiving in 11 straight seasons.
They’re perhaps the greatest to ever buckle a chin strap, Jerry Rice, and the greatest receiver in Bucs history, Mike Evans.
The two recently met.
In a (short) video the two cut for the Players’ Tribune, the two receivers talked shop. And Joe has to believe there is more, much more, to come. Joe cannot believe if someone got Evans and Rice to link up and chat, it had to be more than just a three-minute video. Otherwise, they could have just saved hundreds (thousands?) of dollars and just done a Zoom call.
Both receivers explained how they didn’t start playing football until high school. Evans started as a senior, Rice as a sophomore. Rice said he went out for football only because he got caught skipping class and his principal wanted him to play football.
The two talked shop and talked X’s and O’s using a digital version of a whiteboard.
“If we called a slant five yards, I felt like I could go 95 yards,” Rice said.
“And you did,” Evans responded.
Both explained how they would try to defend the other. Evans said he would demand his defensive coordinator “have a safety over top at all times” and try to get physical with Rice at the line.
Rice said if he tried to get physical with Evans that Evans would “pancake” him. “I would probably try to give you some space,” Rice said.
Pretty cool (short) video. More has to be coming. There sure seems to be a ton left on the cutting room floor.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:04 pm
Evans is better than Rice in my opinion.
Mike has done his damage with drastically inferior QBs than Rice had.
Except for Brady, the rest have been mediocre at best for the Bucs in Mike’s career.
He succeeds in spite of those around him not measuring up.
A true HOF WR first ballot.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:16 pm
Mayfield is far from INFERIOR and Brady did more to slow down Mike’s production than a guy like Winston who continually forced the ball to Mike no matter what. Brady’s dink and dunk game really didn’t mesh well with Mike’s vertical abilities.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:17 pm
Weak Secondary. Sorry, you’re wrong.
I absolutely love Mike Evan, but come on…
May 15th, 2025 at 1:22 pm
Slow your roll…Evans isn’t better than Rice was.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:23 pm
Same.
Mike is fantastic and a no-doubt Hall of Famer. But Rice’s superior? Nah, man.
And Joe’s pretty sure Evans would say the same thing.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:26 pm
I’m just curious what the two of them are holding in the picture.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:32 pm
Don’t take what I’m about to say too far as I believe Rice deserves recognition, records, hall of fame.
But, his use of stick-em really deserves to be looked into and how it’s impacted those records (and maybe wins?) . His legacy probably makes this untouchable but it definitely is worthy a legitimate review for the very least an asterisk.
How many yards, touchdowns would Evans or Terrell Owens (naming because he was famed for dropping passes) have if they got to use stick um?
What’s even more concerning is how did it impact games?
I think both Rice’s legacy and the downstream implications just has people looking the other way.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:32 pm
🫡🫡
May 15th, 2025 at 1:39 pm
After this yr, Evans stands alone. I hope he retires a Buc. His legacy unequaled in bucs’ history, no need to ruin it with an asterisk.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:46 pm
You also have to then factor in that, certainly in the early years of Rice’s career, receivers were allowed to get laid out regularly. Legally. Mishandle or drop a pass? BOOM!
If dudes tried that on Evans today, not only would there be flags flying like a Fourth of July parade, but dudes would be tossed from the game and likely suspended.
That alone probably cancels out whatever advantage Rice had with stickum.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:47 pm
At least Mike has finally had elite QB’s the past 5 years and for the rest of his Bucs career from the looks of it.
Yes, Mayfield is elite. Top-5 QB in the NFL.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:50 pm
I love love LOVE Mike.
But Rice is the greatest to ever do it, and it’s not particularly close. If you don’t think so, I have to question whether you actually saw Jerry Rice’s career.
Rice had amazing natural talent, though you could argue it was exceeded by Randy Moss’s and Calvin Johnson’s. But nobody, NOBODY, ever worked harder on his craft than Rice, and it showed up on Sundays. He played big, even though he wasn’t the biggest. He played strong, even if he wasn’t the strongest. He played blindingly fast, even though the stopwatch said he wasn’t a track guy. He looked the ball in every time. He ran beautiful routes. Also, until Warren Sapp yanked on his facemask in Rice’s THIRTEENTH season, he had never missed a single game. NOT ONE.
Again, I love Evans and it’s a personal joy to be able to root for him on Sundays, but there has never been a better wide receiver than Rice.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:50 pm
CleanHouse Says:
“Weak Secondary. Sorry, you’re wrong.
I absolutely love Mike Evan, but come on…”
Rice had Joe Montana in his prime. And Steve Young.
Winston just threw the ball to anyone out there, especially the other team.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:51 pm
Just WOW!
Our Mike Evans sitting in the same room as The Jerry Rice. Surreal.
Love to see Mike get in three more seasons and finish 3rd Rec Yards and 4th Rec TD.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Only if you’re going to review every single receiver in the last 15 years that wears those gloves that are 20 times tackier than stickum.
May 15th, 2025 at 1:53 pm
my childhood idol meets Mike “Man among Boys” Evans! I love it. That is my nickname for Mike and everyone in my family, neighborhood, and Bloomingdale High knows it cause I shout it every game day. For once though, I will call him Mike “Man among a man” Evans! Jerry is the GOAT. I did a biography on him in 6th grade (Joe Montana too) I just thought it was so cool reading that he fled from his principal and was then encouraged to join the football team. Also, learning how to catch bricks cause his dad was a masonry and bricks were expensive. Class act times 2. So proud to see ME13 and JR80 career as a fan. Words cannot describe. Who cares what they accomplished on the field. Look what each has done off it and you will see…Class Acts.
May 15th, 2025 at 2:01 pm
Coach Bowles, Mike said if he were defending Jerry he would “try to get physical with Rice at the line”. We know Coach that you were a Super Bowl winning defensive back in your Washington Redskins days. You know better than anyone that the corner can flog the receiver for 5 yards! Maybe the receiver pancakes the hyper aggressive corner, have a safety backing him up like Mike is saying. These guys are so quick nowadays it probably won’t work like I’m picturing it. But please coach, just let us see. Parrish is the kind of corner that he’ll mug most receivers for 3 seconds before that receiver can make it 5 yards. Great article Joe, there has to be more than 3 minutes, hope we can see more here if you find some more.
May 15th, 2025 at 2:05 pm
That was cool. Good share there.
No doubt there will be more content coming from that.
May 15th, 2025 at 2:07 pm
what would happen if both on the same team. rice in the slot, evans out wide. qb dream. how about 3000+ yds and 35+ td.
May 15th, 2025 at 2:32 pm
Brandon Says:
May 15th, 2025 at 1:16 pm
Mayfield is far from INFERIOR and Brady did more to slow down Mike’s production than a guy like Winston who continually forced the ball to Mike no matter what. Brady’s dink and dunk game really didn’t mesh well with Mike’s vertical abilities.
________
Absolutely agree.
May 15th, 2025 at 2:32 pm
Seeing the both of them together was awesome!
May 15th, 2025 at 2:32 pm
ChiBuc Says:
May 15th, 2025 at 1:39 pm
After this yr, Evans stands alone. I hope he retires a Buc. His legacy unequaled in bucs’ history, no need to ruin it with an asterisk.
——————————————————————————–
Mike already stands alone as the only receiver to have 1000 yards in the first 11 seasons of his NFL career.
May 15th, 2025 at 2:34 pm
Any QB that is in the league can throw a football or they would not be in it.
So to say this QB or that QB Blah Blah Blah is just speak from some kind of dumb.
Evans ran the routes and the QB delivered the ball. Simple.
Want an Honest assessment? Ask Mike.
First 10 seasons of Rice. 1570-15 TD, 1483-17 TD, 1502- 13TD’s. 1503- 15 TD, 1499-13 TD, and 1848-15 TD.
One season in 1st 10 missed 4 games, got 1048 and led the league with 22TD.
First 10 seasons led the league in TD’s 6 times.
13 Pro Bowls 10 All Pros SB MVP and Multiple MVP Awards.
Evans might crack top 10 by time it’s over but he’s a little behind at his quest for the top.
Fun to watch though.