Heading into the final week of the regular season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has 915 receiving yards, leaving him 85 short of extending his streak of 10 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career.
If Evans gets those 85 yards on Sunday against the Saints, he'll not only extend his record-setting beginning-of-career streak to 11 seasons, he'll also break a tie with Randy Moss for the second-most 1,000-yard seasons in NFL history -- leaving him three shy of Jerry Rice's record of 14 such seasons.
Asked about the possibility of getting Evans -- who missed three games due to injury earlier this season, which is likely the only reason why he's not already at 1,000 yards -- over the line once again, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield spoke at length about Evans as a player and what he means to the franchise, the community and the team. Here's what he had to say, via FOX Sports.
"Let's put things in perspective: You're talking about somebody who has all these receiving records across NFL history. You're talking about somebody who has consistently been somebody in this community that has raised people up, continued to be the face of this franchise and be there for people.
"So, that record is important for us, to get him to that. Obviously, winning is the most important part, but those two things go hand in hand. Mike's a huge part of this offense, a huge part of this passing game. So, getting him involved early and often is a lot of the reason we've had success.
"Those things go hand in hand and the most important thing is winning, but how I see it playing out is, if we win then Mike's getting the record. So, focus on winning and get him the ball. Mike won't say anything about it. That's just who he is. That's why we love him, that's why everybody loves him, that's why he's been so consistent for so long. It's never been about just himself."
The future Hall of Fame receiving has been one of the most consistent players in the league not just during his 11-year career, but in NFL history. You won't find a guy who just does the same exact thing year after year, quite like Evans. You can basically print 1,000 yards on the stat sheet before the year even starts, and he's averaged just shy of 10 touchdowns per season in his career as well. (His 105 receiving touchdowns are the most among active players.)
Evans has had plenty of battles with the Saints over the years, and famously with Marshon Lattimore, who has been one of his toughest opponents. But Lattimore was traded to Washington earlier this season, and that should make it a bit easier for Evans to do his thing, get those 85 yards and get the Bucs across the finish line for the NFC South title in the process.
