Mike Evans has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon, despite the minor injury concern last season. The longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers star has plenty of football left in him.
But, going into his 12th NFL season and a player who will be 32 years old when the season begins, Evans has to at least have had some thoughts about retirement.
Even if and when he's retired, though, it doesn't appear as though Evans will be completely out of the game of football. As ESPN's Jenna Laine reported, Evans has expressed interest in playing flag football in the Olympics.
As Laine put it, though, Evans alluded to the fact that he'd participate in the Olympics "only" if he was retired.
Mike Evans may have just outlined when he plans to retire from the NFL
This is, of course, speculative. But, it has to mean something for Evans to point out the idea that he'd be interested in playing Olympic flag football when retired.
By the time the 2028 Olympics rolled around, Evans would be close to turning 35 years old. That seems like a safe age to call it a career, and the veteran has even hinted at that being the point in time he would choose to hang up the cleats.
But, if he really wanted to, the chances of Evans playing later than that seem high,
Evans has played at least 14 games in all but one of his pro seasons, and even that lone campaign saw him suit up for 13. He's been a model of consistency and a player who keeps his body in tip-top shape.
Sure, every player deals with injuries. But, Evans has been fortunate enough to not have anything seriously dig into any of his regular seasons over 11 years. It's been pretty astounding to watch, because this type of career doesn't happen often.
Should Evans' health continue to be on his side, who's to say he can't play into his late 30's? If he does, Olympic football might have to wait until 2032 when Evans will be approaching 40 years old.