It’s hard to find anyone around football — coaches, players and fans alike — who has anything other than respect for Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans, both as a player and as a person.

So, when LeSean McCoy was asked during an appearance on Pardon My Take about the best players he played with during his 12 NFL seasons, it was no surprise when “Shady” took some time to praise Evans for being the best teammate he ever had.

Bucs RB LeSean McCoy – Photo by: USA Today

“My best teammate I’ve ever had — that doesn’t make him my best friend, but my best teammate — a guy like Mike Evans. This dude’s a great person,” McCoy said. “He buys stuff for the starters, buys for the practice squad, everybody. Holidays, Christmas gifts.

“In the meetings, who wants the ball? Now, [we had] Antonio Brown, so he wants the ball, right? Mike said, ‘Well look, man. If he wants the ball, give it to him. I’m thinking like ‘Damn.’ I’m used to wide receivers wanting the ball. Mike was so selfless. It was amazing, bro. I’ve never seen a player like him.”

McCoy was only with Evans for one season — 2020, which was the two-time All-Pro running back’s last in the NFL — but the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver clearly left an impression on him.

And it’s just the latest example (in a long line of them) of Mike Evans being a selfless guy who is extremely valuable to the Bucs’ locker room.

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

Evans, even dating back to when he was a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, has never been the type of player to make a fuss about getting the ball. He’s never been about himself — all he wants is to win.

The Antonio Brown story that LeSean McCoy told was a perfect look at Mike Evans’ attitude. In 2020, he and Chris Godwin (another guy who bucks the “me first” wide receiver stereotype) were receptive to the midseason addition of Brown, a big (and controversial) personality who was going to demand the ball and heavy involvement in the offense.

Because to them, it wasn’t about the targets or the numbers — it was about winning a Super Bowl.

As far as Evans buying gifts for his teammates as McCoy mentioned, that wasn’t just a one-time thing during the year they were teammates. Just last year, Evans bought each of his teammates a scooter for Christmas.

LeSean McCoy Had A Lot Of Fun With The Bucs

Bucs RB LeSean McCoy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Elsewhere in his appearance on Pardon My Take, LeSean McCoy talked about his NFL career. He finished his time in the league with exactly 15,000 total yards (rushing + receiving), so he was asked if reaching such a perfectly precise number at the end of 2020 played into his decision to retire.

While he mentioned that he did think about it, McCoy also said that any other situation he might’ve stepped into for the 2021 season wouldn’t have been ideal. He had interest from teams, but he said those situations weren’t going to compare to the time he spent with the Bucs — both in terms of the fun he had and the chance to win a championship  

“It did. I wanted to come back, I wanted to get 12,000 [rushing] yards. I think I had Patriots, Jets, Raiders and some other team that wasn’t that good that wanted me,” McCoy said. “I was like, man, I’m gonna go there, none of the teams were really good teams. And if I’m going just to get stats, I’m going to be the backup. So I’m not gonna get a lot of carries. So I’m gonna add onto the yardage, but am I going to have fun compared to being with the Bucs?

“I didn’t play a lot, but it was a fun team. It was an older team, we all got along and we were going for a championship, where the other teams weren’t. So the yardage, I had the 15,000, and all the other accolades, so I said I’m just gonna retire. I had some TV stuff going on anyway, so I just said I’m good. I’m retired.”

McCoy was a veteran addition to the Bucs’ 2020 backfield, but in the end, he didn’t factor in a lot on the field. He played in 10 games, totaling 31 yards on 10 carries. But he clearly had some fun along the way in Tampa Bay, and he got a second straight Super Bowl ring out of the experience.

You can catch LeSean McCoy’s full interview with Big Cat and PFT Commenter on Pardon My Take here: