Death. Taxes. Mike Evans putting up 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

Despite missing three games midway through the 2024 regular season, Evans has done it again. Inside the final minute of Sunday’s regular season finale against the Saints, Evans surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the 11th straight season, extending his NFL record for most consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons to begin a career while tying Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the longest overall streak in league history.

Evans has been the model of consistency throughout his 11-year career with the Bucs, becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in just about every offensive category — including targets, receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and total touchdowns — long ago. And as the years have gone on, Evans has begun to cement his name in the NFL’s record book.

By tying Rice for the longest streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons (11), he has now set himself up for a chance to break the record by posting a 12th straight 1,000-yard campaign in 2025. But there are other categories where the 2014 No. 7 overall pick is seeing his name rise higher and higher among the NFL’s greats.

Evans recently broke into the top 25 all-time for receiving yards, sitting 24th. He has the ninth-most receiving touchdowns in NFL history, and he’s inside the top 25 for most total touchdowns in league history.

Mike Evans Overcame Obstacles To Have Another Mike Evans-Like Year

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today

There were times this season when it felt like Mike Evans’ 1,000-yard season streak was destined to come to an end. Early on in the season, Chris Godwin was the most productive receiver on the field for the Bucs, as he was averaging 82.3 yards per game off the back of two 100-yard games in the first seven weeks. Evans didn’t top 100 yards at all in the first seven games, and he only surpassed 80 yards once.

Then, both he and Godwin suffered injuries in a Monday Night Football loss to the Ravens. Godwin’s injury was unfortunately season-ending, while Evans’ would cost him the next three games after he left that Monday night game early. So, in total, he missed about three and a half games. That was the second point when it felt like the 1,000-yard season streak was in serious jeopardy. He only had 335 yards at the time of his injury.

Returning to action in Week 12 against the Giants, Evans had some serious work to do if he was going to keep his streak going. And he was going to have to do that work in the face of an overarching obstacle that was evident from the start of the season, and that was the minimal vertical elements in offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s system.

There just aren’t as many deep balls being thrown under Coen. Of course, it’s not like that has cost Tampa Bay effectiveness on the offensive side of the ball, as it’s among the league’s best units across most categories this year. But the lack of downfield throws potentially costing Evans his streak was something Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo outlined in October, along with the future Hall of Famer’s target share in Coen’s offense.

Bucs WR Mike Evans Photo by: USA Today

So, how could Evans overcome that over the final seven games and maintain the streak that so many have eyes on? His target share naturally increased with Godwin out, and Queipo recently wrote about the evolution of Evans within Coen’s offense.

Simply, though, two big performances are what put him back on track. His first 100-yard game of the season came in Week 13 when he went for 118 against Carolina. He then posted 159 in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Those two games combined with some consistency in the other weeks — which saw him finish with 68, 69 and 69 yards — got him to the point where he needed just 182 yards over the final two games of the season to break that 1,000-yard threshold.

After a 97-yard day against the Panthers in Week 17, he entered the final game of the regular season needing 85 yards to keep his streak alive.

It came slowly throughout the day, and it came down to the wire. At the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, Evans had 80 yards, leaving him five yards away from history. And when Bucky Irving scored from 11 yards out with 1:51 left, it looked like Evans would finish at 995 for the year.

But the Buccaneer defense got a stop with just enough time left for the offense to give Evans one last shot. And sure enough, Baker Mayfield found him on a short route and Evans did the rest, getting nine yards to surpass 1,000 and finish with 1,004 on the year.

That celebration for Mike Evans from his teammates and coaches rolled on from there, as Mayfield knelt down on the final play to wrap up the game and clinch a fourth consecutive NFC South title for Tampa Bay.