Mike Evans Aiming for Best Season Yet

Again, if we’re speaking in terms of statistics, Evans has set the bar awfully high for himself. His 96 catches for 1,321 yards and 12 touchdowns led to his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2016. His 1,524 receiving yards in 2018, his second Pro Bowl season, established a single-season franchise record. And he simply keeps setting new Buccaneer standards for touchdown catches along the way, first with a dozen in both 2014 and 2016 and then with 13 in 2020 and 14 last year. But if Evans were to pick his best season yet he would probably point to 2020, when he actually finished with his second-lowest yardage total ever at 1,006. That season, of course, ended in a Super Bowl championship, in which he played a huge role.

So what would Evans’ best season yet look like to him?

“Winning a lot on a lot of routes, blocking great, staying healthy and winning a lot of football games,” he stated succinctly.

It is hard to look away from those statistics, though. Evans is famously the first player in NFL history to open his career with eight straight 1,000-yard seasons. Except when he has been limited by injuries – and he’s played at least 13 games in each of those seasons – Evans has been the most consistently productive offensive player in franchise history. And that consistency has been earned. He says that he has consistently looked for ways through the years to keep his body fit and strong, a process that is still evolving today.

“Every year I just try to find ways to keep my body in tip-top shape,” said Evans. “So that’s what I do, because when I’m feeling good I feel like I’m the best. I’ve just got to get in that position where I’m feeling my best.

“Like I said, I’ve been blessed, but I’ve always believed in my abilities. Every year I’m going to come in super-confident. If I’m feeling good, like I said, I feel like I’m the best. I’m just trying to improve each year, and I’m just happy to be here.”

Because he posted his first 1,000-yard season as a 21-year-old rookie, Evans…