The legend of Bucs quarterback Tom Brady’s return to football grows.

Over the course of the offseason, various Bucs players and coaches have shared their stories about where they were or how they found out about Brady’s return from retirement. The retirement, of course, lasted just 41 short days. Though there are countless stories from that Sunday in March, perhaps none are quite as unique as the one wide receiver Mike Evans recently shared with Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston.

Evans said he received a text from Brady on March 13th. It was a link to an article about Brady’s final touchdown pass, which he threw to Evans late in their home playoff loss to the Rams. Evans threw the ball into the stands, as he usually does. The ball in question, though, had just been auctioned off for $518,000.

“That’s a lot of tuition money,” Brady’s text read.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Evans responded that, in his defense, he didn’t know Brady would soon retire. This wasn’t the first time Tampa Bay’s No. 1 receiver had given away a historic touchdown ball. Earlier in the season, Evans caught Brady’s 600th career touchdown pass. The ball belonged in Brady’s collection – or even Canton. However, Evans gave the ball to a fan. At the time, he didn’t know how significant that ball was. This led to quite the negotiation for Brady and the Bucs to recover the prized ball. 

Brady’s Hint To Evans

So, after Evans gave his defense for sending Brady’s final touchdown pass into the stands, he got a reply. As he described it, it felt like he was being trolled.

“There’s more touchdowns in our future,” Brady’s text read.

Evans was left perplexed. Then, a few hours later, he and the rest of the NFL world received some groundbreaking news. Brady was back.

Now, four months later, Evans and Brady are preparing to lead a potent Bucs offense in 2022 as the team tries to reclaim the Lombardi Trophy. Prior to the season, they may want to have a talk about which touchdowns Evans is and isn’t allowed to give away. Just to be safe, of course.