In 2025, Mike Evans will look to make history as he chases Jerry Rice’s record for consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Last season, Evans joined Rice as the only two receivers in NFL history to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in 11 straight seasons. Now, Evans hopes to own the record outright.
He already holds the record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start a career — the next closest is Randy Moss, with just six. This is another chance for Evans to further cement his place in the history books and strengthen his Hall of Fame résumé.
Rice has held the individual record since 1996, but in a feature by The Players’ Tribune, he offered Evans his full support.
“You know that I’m pulling for you, right?” Rice asked Evans.
Evans responded, “That means more to me than you could ever know, so I appreciate that, O.G. You are the original. … This is so surreal right now. This is surreal for me that you know who I am.”
But with a brutal schedule that will see a 32-year-old Evans go head-to-head with a flurry of the league’s top young cornerbacks, earning his 12th consecutive 1,000-yard season will be no small feat.
Mike Evans’ path to history runs through the NFL’s best cornerbacks
The competition Evans will face to begin the season is jarring, especially with Chris Godwin potentially missing time early as he continues to recover from a season-ending dislocated ankle suffered last year.
Godwin’s presence forces defenses to shift attention away from Evans, but without him, shutting down Evans becomes the No. 1 priority for every opponent.
The Bucs open the season against the Falcons, and while Evans has largely had A.J. Terrell’s number throughout his career, the difficulty ramps up in the following weeks.
Tampa Bay faces the Texans in Week 2, the Jets in Week 3, the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles in Week 4, and the Seahawks in Week 5.
That means Evans will go up against Derek Stingley Jr., Sauce Gardner, Quinyon Mitchell and Devon Witherspoon across those four games.
According to Jeremy Fowler’s ESPN position rankings — voted on by NFL executives, coaches and scouts — all four of Evans’ opponents from Weeks 2 through 5 are top-10 cornerbacks.
The rankings, which gave Evans his due respect at No. 9 among NFL wide receivers, list Stingley at No. 2 among cornerbacks, Gardner at No. 5, Mitchell at No. 9 and Witherspoon at No. 10.
As a rookie in 2024, Mitchell limited Evans to two receptions for 19 yards on four targets, including a pass breakup. Heading into his sophomore season with more experience under his belt, Mitchell figures to be an even tougher matchup this time around.
The gauntlet doesn’t end there. In Week 10 against the New England Patriots, Evans will face one of the league’s rising stars in Christian Gonzalez, ranked No. 6 among NFL cornerbacks, and as high as No. 1 on some ballots.
When he’s not covered by Gonzalez, Evans will see action against a familiar face in former teammate Carlton Davis, who signed with New England earlier this offseason.
Another one of Evans’ toughest matchups is a division rival he’ll face twice down the stretch. Carolina’s Jaycee Horn, the No. 7-ranked cornerback in the NFL, will line up across from Evans in two of Tampa Bay’s final three games.
In recent years, Evans hasn’t crossed the 1,000-yard threshold until late in the season. Last year, for example, he didn’t reach the milestone until the literal final play of the regular season against the New Orleans Saints.
With two of the final three games of 2025 coming against an elite corner like Horn, padding his stats late could prove to be a real challenge.
But they don’t call him Mr. 1K for nothing. Evans embraces the chance to conquer the gauntlet ahead of him in 2025, and if he wants to make history yet again, he’ll have to earn it against the best.
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