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It is the golden age of wide receivers in the NFL, where the position has never been more vaunted and celebrated and the very best of the best pass catchers have never been paid more than they are right now.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had one of the very best of them for the last decade in veteran Mike Evans, who they rewarded with a 2-year, $52 million contract in the offseason.
That love of Evans and his style of play isn’t just contained to One Buc Place. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has Evans at No. 8 in his wide receiver rankings headed into 2024 based on a survey of the league’s executives, coaches and scouts. Evans moved up from an honorable mention pick on last year’s list.
Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson took the No. 1 spot in the rankings.
“Evans’ fall to honorable mention last season turned out to be an aberration,” Fowler wrote. “In 2023, Evans posted his fourth career season of 1,200-plus yards and led the NFL in touchdowns with 13 … Evans’ nine drops were less than ideal, but he does just about everything else well, from red zone efficiency to physical plays on go balls.”
The Revenge of the 30-Year-Old Wide Receivers
Football is a young man’s game, but when it comes to wide receivers the old guys aren’t backing down anytime soon — four of the Top 10 wide receivers were 30 years old or older including No. 2 Tyreek Hill (Miami Dolphins), No. 5 Davante Adams (Las Vegas Raiders), No. 8 Evans and No. 9 Stefon Diggs (Houston Texans).
The two youngest players on the list were a pair of 24-year-olds in No. 3 Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals) and No. 7 Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions).
Evans set the NFL record with his 10th consecutive season with at least 1,000 receiving yards in 2023. He was also named NFL All-Pro for the second time, made his fifth Pro Bowl and led the NFL with 13 receiving touchdowns.
One thing Evans has that all but one other player in the Top 10 is missing? A Super Bowl ring. Hill won following the 2019 season but did it with another team, the Kansas City Chiefs.
How Long Can Evans Keep His Streak Going?
Evans has everything in place to continue to add to his NFL record streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
The Buccaneers are coming off a third consecutive NFC South Division title and re-signed quarterback Baker Mayfield to a 3-year, $100 million contract in the offseason. They also upgraded their offensive line by drafting a plug-and-play center in the first round (No. 26 overall) with Duke’s Graham Barton. They also brought in another starter via free agency by signing guard Ben Bredeson away from the New York Giants.
Evans also brings back his longtime running mate, wide receiver Chris Godwin, who has three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and has more reinforcements at the position with 2024 third-round pick Jalen McMillan (No. 92 overall).
Third-year running back Rachaad White had over 1,500 yards of total offense in 2023, and if he can break into the elite level of NFL running backs in 2024 that could be another catalyst in Evans continuing his record streak.
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