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When Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans first realized Tom Brady had serious thoughts about retirement, it hit extra close to home.
“He’s older than my mom,” Evans humorously told NFL Network’s James Jones on “NFL Total Access”.
Evans’ mother, Heather Kilgore, was 15 years old when she gave birth to Evans, 28, in 1993. Kilgore is around a year younger than Brady, 44. Evans told the Pro Football Talk crew that he ribbed Brady about that before.
It became clear to Evans that he wouldn’t get to enjoy Brady as a teammate beyond 2021 as the season wore on. Evans recently recounted the story of a conversation during a walkthrough when he realized Brady really may retire.
“We were walking through and then he didn’t participate in practice, and I was just asking him when I saw it,” Evans told Pro Football Talk. “I said, ‘big bro, what are you thinking about doing after this year? It was like ‘honestly, bro. I don’t know’, and I just looked into his eyes.”
“I said, man, this probably could be it,” Evans added.
“I think it’s time, too,” Evans said. “His family’s ready for him. He’s done so much for the game. He deserves it.”
Evans on Chris Godwin: ‘We Need Him Bad’
While Evans accepts Brady moving on, the star wideout hopes fellow star wideout Chris Godwin will stay. Godwin will become a free agent in March after spending the 2021 season on the franchise tag, which paid Godwin $15.98 million. His value showed all season with 98 receptions, 1,103 yards, and five touchdowns before an ACL tear ended his season on Dec. 19.
“We need him bad,” Evans told Pro Football Talk. “He’s one of the best to do it in the game. Very versatile. Tough. Blue-collar guy. Ultimate teammate. One of my favorites that I’ve ever played with, so I hope, I’m praying that we get him back.”
“But he definitely deserves to be paid,” Evans added.
Godwin likewise wants to return.
“Obviously, I love playing with my guy Mike,” Godwin told host Nate Burleson of NFL Network’s “NFL Total Access”. “We’re a one-two punch and we have been that way for a couple of years now. I would love to continue to do that.”
It will come down to paying Godwin. He has a market value of $90.9 million for five years according to Spot Trac, which is sixth among all NFL receivers.
Evans OK With Being Under the Radar
Only Evans has eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and no other receiver in the history of the game.
Yet, Evans isn’t perceived as the biggest name among NFL receivers as Jones pointed out during “NFL Total Access” on Thursday.
“I’m going to just keep being me. Keep being consistent. Working hard every single year,” Evans told Jones. “I’m blessed to be in this position for people to be talking about me at all.”
“I hold myself to a higher standard than anybody ever could,” Evans added.
Evans tallied 74 receptions for 1,035 yards and 14 touchdowns for 2021. His touchdown total ranked second in the league behind Los Angeles Rams star Cooper Kupp’s 16.
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