While the Bucs’ 27-19, NFC South-clinching win ended with 11th-year receiver Mike Evans making history, it shouldn’t be lost that rookie receiver Jalen McMillan made some history of his own on Sunday afternoon.

With his 32-yard touchdown catch at the 10:09 mark in the fourth quarter that gave Tampa Bay a lead it wouldn’t relinquish, McMillan etched his name into both franchise and NFL history.

That marked his fifth straight game with a receiving touchdown, which is the longest streak by a rookie since 2004 and tied him with Lee Evans (2004) and Chris Sanders (1995) for the second-longest streak by a rookie in league history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss (7 games in 1998) had a longer streak as a rookie.

Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Not only did McMillan finish the regular season with receiving touchdowns in five straight games, but he scored seven over those five games. He tied future Hall of Famer and teammate Mike Evans and Bucs Ring of Honor member Jimmie Giles for the most receiving touchdowns over a five-game span in franchise history.

He also became the second player in the 2024 NFL season to catch seven touchdowns over a five-game span, joining probable Triple Crown winner Ja’Marr Chase.

Over the 13 games he played during his rookie year, McMillan caught 37 passes for 461 yards and eight touchdowns. Most of that production came down the stretch. The 2024 third-round pick caught 20 passes for 316 yards and seven touchdowns over the final five games, overcoming a slow start and some injury issues to put together a promising rookie campaign.

Jalen McMillan Is Looking Like The Guy The Bucs Thought He’d Be

Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs were understandably thrilled when they were able to draft Jalen McMillan in the third round of the 2024 Draft. Though an MCL sprain limited him to 45 catches for 559 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games during his final season at Washington, the 79-catch, 1,098-yard and nine-touchdown season he had in 2022 was evidence of his ceiling.

He likely would’ve been drafted higher if not for the 2023 injury, but as it was, fellow Huskies receivers Rome Odunze (No. 9 overall to the Bears) and Ja’Lynn Polk (No. 37 overall to the Patriots) went ahead of him.

But it didn’t take long for Tampa Bay to see some of the potential it expected from him when the team drafted him with the No. 92 pick. McMillan was one of the stars of the offseason and quickly developed a strong rapport with quarterback Baker Mayfield in training camp and played well in the preseason as well.

That’s why it was surprising that the rookie didn’t hit the ground running when the regular season began. He did catch a 32-yard touchdown in his NFL debut against the Commanders, but he had just three catches on six targets over his first three games. He was then inactive with a hamstring injury for Weeks 4 and 5 and didn’t do much in Week 6 before catching only seven of his 15 targets for 50 yards over Weeks 7 and 8.

He was inactive again in Week 9 after aggravating his hamstring again and then did not play in Week 10 despite being active. Heading into the bye week, it was looking like a disappointing rookie season for a receiver who showed so much early promise during the summer.

Bucs WRs Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But then McMillan turned it on down the stretch and closed the season with a heater of a five-game stretch. Given his emergence down the stretch as the Bucs went 6-1, it’s easy to picture even bigger things ahead for McMillan. Mike Evans, a fellow history-maker on Sunday, said as much after the win over New Orleans.

“J-Mac has really came on strong the second half of this season,” Evans said. “He was injured initially and then like I’ve been saying all year, he’s a hell of a player. Bucs fans for a long time are gonna have to watch out for J-Mac because he’s a hell of a player [and] a great teammate.”

If the Bucs manage to re-sign Chris Godwin this offseason, they’ll head into 2025 with one of the most formidable wide receiver trios — as well as one of the most lethal offenses — in the NFL.