Does Mike Evans Have An Unbreakable Record?
June 21st, 2025
Watching history.
Joe doesn’t believe there is a person on the planet who would have the nerve to suggest Randy Moss wasn’t one of the best wide receivers to ever lace up a pair of cleats.
Moss had 1,000 yards receiving in his first seven seasons in the league. At the time, that was a record. Until Mike Evans came along.
Evans, of course, is tied for most consecutive seasons with 1,000 yards receiving. His 11 straight ties the great Jerry Rice. Evans has never not hit 1,000 yards since being drafted in 2014.
Currently, Ben Solak of BSPN is on Evans watch for another reason: establishing a new record for consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons at 12.
That’s how many times Bucs receiver Mike Evans will have produced a 1,000-yard receiving season if he does it again this year. Remember, it took an extra effort in Week 18 to get him to his 11th straight season, the most to ever start a career. Jerry Rice also had 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons from 1986 to 1996, though he didn’t have 1,000 yards in Year 1 like Evans did in 2014.
(Rice accumulated 14 total 1,000-yard seasons over his career, which is the record. Check back for my “100 things to watch in the 2028 NFL season” in a few years for an update on Evans’ pace versus the all-time great.)
Say Evans breaks Rice’s record at 12 years. Will we ever see another receiver begin his career with 12 (or more) seasons of 1,000 yards?
That may be an unbreakable record. Especially when you consider a couple of all-time greats, Moss and Rice, couldn’t pull that off.
Yeah, it’s a passing league more and more each year. And if the NFL adds an 18th game (which it will), that will help future receivers. And Joe may live long enough to see 20 games in a season. It’s not an absurd thought. Some 15 years ago most fans envision an 18-game schedule? Yet here we are on the cusp.
Until the NFL pushes to a 20-game schedule, Joe is of the mind Evans’ streak of 11 straight seasons of 1,000 yards receiving to start a career is damn near unbreakable.
June 21st, 2025 at 8:05 am
I mean it’s almost impossible to average 58 yards per game isn’t it?
June 21st, 2025 at 8:23 am
“Remember, it took an extra effort in Week 18 to get him to his 11th straight season, the most to ever start a career. “
Remember that Mike missed 3.5 games.
June 21st, 2025 at 8:36 am
And dropped that TD pass he got hurt on in the Crows game or he would have passed the 1000 yd mark earlier.
June 21st, 2025 at 9:10 am
Not so impossible as the league continually moves more and more towards being a decidedly throwing affair.
June 21st, 2025 at 9:37 am
The key to longevity in the NFL is an extreme dedication to keeping there body pliable and fit. Mike Evans and Jerry rice along with Tom Brady took the utmost care of there bodies while playing along with working harder than most. Evans learned and adopted Brady’s system for longevity and in my opinion he is going to be breaking more records before he is through
June 21st, 2025 at 10:07 am
The other factor on why it may not be impossible to break is that medical science is always improving, 20yrs ago injuries that would sideline a player for a full season can now be fixed in a matter of weeks, its not inconceivable to think that given another 20-30yrs many of the current injuries that cause people to miss half a season will end up being fixed in a matter of days.
June 21st, 2025 at 10:11 am
It is Doooosh, it is even more difficult to average 75 a game….
June 21st, 2025 at 10:16 am
Like Rice AND Evans average……
June 21st, 2025 at 10:20 am
Love Mikey. Underrated, under-utilized.
June 21st, 2025 at 10:25 am
At my age, I’ll certainly never see another receiver do it.
June 21st, 2025 at 10:41 am
The fact that is that the league’s arduous slog towards longer seasons puts records like “most this or that” in single season in dire jeopardy. It also is more likely to shorten most careers. Therefore records like Mike’s are slightly more likely to stand “forever.”.
June 21st, 2025 at 10:44 am
Love Mike. Unbreakable record!
June 21st, 2025 at 10:48 am
The word “is” in that first sentence doesn’t belong there. No edit button.
June 21st, 2025 at 11:41 am
Jerry Rice did it when there was only 16 games per season. Mike Even had 17 games to do it last year. I imagine the NFL will soon have 18 games per season, so yes, Rice’s and Evan’s record will be broken in the future.
June 21st, 2025 at 11:42 am
I was thinking about this the other day for Mike to get his record quickly this year. In an earlier post, Joe said that Mike seemed pumped up to get this year going on a faster pace.
My thought would be that Mike is going to grizz and Baker and saying “just get me the damn ball, so I can get this record over with. This way, we can focus on the playoffs and after.” Go Bucs
June 21st, 2025 at 12:18 pm
Hope Mike stretches the record the next 2 years. And since Hope springs eternal, then I hope 15 years from now that Egbuka breaks Mikes record.
June 21st, 2025 at 12:35 pm
The conversation is about how many games there are and the higher probability of the record falling. Sure, the chances are better, BUT, there’s a reason only 2 men in the history of professional football have done it…IT AIN’T EASY!!!
If it was easy, there would be a lot more people doing it as long as, or even close to as long, as these 2 men have done it. There’s been plenty of “pass happy” years since Rice retired and yet, ONLY 1 OTHER MAN, has done it!!!!! BTW, many of his years were with less than 16 games, including this last one when it took the last throw to get, making it even more special!!!!!
ME13 IS THE MAN!!!!!
LFG
June 21st, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Ja’mar Chase has 4 – 1000 yards seasons in a row to start his career.
Justin Jefferson has 5 – 1000 yard seasons in a row to start his career. (Barely made it in ’23 due to injury and only playing 10 games).
Neither is half way to ME’s all time record of 11 straight 1000 yard seasons to start a career yet – but both have a chance to get there.
The hardest part of a record like this is the consecutive season nature of it…. the consistency of staying healthy enough year in and year out for basically your whole career to do it. Jefferson had a close call year before last due to injury – Evans had the closest of calls to get r done last year for the same reason – and there’s been a couple other years where he barely made it to 1000 as well….
If Evans gets to 12 straight – and perhaps even 13…. Its likely to be a looooong loooooooooong time before that record ever gets equaled or broken – and perhaps never.
June 21st, 2025 at 12:56 pm
Another aspect to any longevity record now is the money players make today and in the future. Those with the talent to break the record will have generational wealth by their 10th year.
Not wanting to play anymore isn’t a negative towards them, they are just blessed with options players of the past didn’t have.
June 21st, 2025 at 3:15 pm
Let’s not forget the Starting QB’s Evans played with:
Mike Glennon, Josh McCown, Jameis Winston, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Blaine Gabbert, Tom Brady, and Baker Mayfield.
From 1985-1999 Rice played with Joe Montana and Steve Young during which he had his 11 consecutive 1,000 plus season and 12 overall.
I think you could compare quality of OC’s and HC’s in the same fashion and come to the conclusion that Evans had a much steeper hill to climb to get those consecutive seasons.
Just IMO.
June 21st, 2025 at 5:47 pm
Never thought this record was a big deal at all.
Yards and TDs are what matter not this record where he needed help at the end of the year more than once.
Us Bucs fans are the only people that make a big deal out of it.
Honestly, outside of Tampa…no one cares.
June 21st, 2025 at 6:08 pm
Quick research shows only 22 WR’s have played 13+ seasons. While the yards per season might be easier to obtain with more games played, how many will play that effectively for that many years. Not to mention the extra wear and tear on their bodies with more games played. If Mike can get to 12 or 13 years, it just might be untouchable.