Mike Evans

A possible NFL comparison to the NBA's surprising blockbuster trade involving Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis has been revealed.

"Imagine the Bengals shipping off Ja'Marr Chase to the Buccaneers for Mike Evans and a second-round pick," an NFL general manager told Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz.

The Dallas Mavericks dealt Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster three-team swap on Sunday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Dallas received Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris headed to the Lakers while the Utah Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino and a pair of second-round picks as part of the deal.

While Davis has established himself as one of the NBA's top defensive players and is averaging 25.7 points per game this season, it's still surprising to see the Mavericks acquire him in exchange for Dončić when he'll be turning 32 years old in March.

Meanwhile, Dončić is coming off a 2023-24 campaign in which he finished No. 3 in MVP voting and led his team to an NBA Finals appearance. The 25-year-old also averaged 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game to open the 2024-25 season.

While it's difficult to make a direct comparison in NFL terms, Evans is going to be 32 years old at the start of the 2025 season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout has put together a legendary career, although his 1,004 receiving yards in 2024 only ranked No. 23 among all players.

As for Chase, the Cincinnati Bengals star paced the league in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17) in 2024. The 24-year-old became just the sixth player to lead the NFL in all three categories during the Super Bowl era.

It's extremely difficult to imagine Cincinnati accepting a swap involving Chase and Evans, even with a second-round pick included.

The end of Mike Evans' NFL career could come in the next few years, but his playing days may not be over.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers star said he'd "most likely" be retired by 2028, and if he is, he'll suit up for the United States Olympic flag football team.

"This is good practice for me," Evans told reporters Saturday regarding the flag football at the Pro Bowl Games, via Tampa Free Press' Rock Riley (h/t NFL.com's Bobby Kownack). "The Olympics, most likely I'll be retired by 2028, how many years is that? Three years, I don't know. But if I am retired, I would definitely like to play in the Olympics."

After the Paris Olympics came to a close in August, the focus quickly shifted to Los Angeles 2028, which will feature flag football for the first time in Olympic history. Naturally, the addition of flag football had fans urging NFL players to get involved.

Evans isn't the only player to express interest in flag football at the Olympics, as Miami Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill called for NFL players to team up to "bring one home" in 2028.

Having a speedy receiver like Hill alongside a massive target such as Evans would be quite the spectacle, but only time will tell if they decide to pursue gold in a few years.

It's also unclear whether Evans will be retired or still playing by 2028. The veteran will be nearly 35 by the time the Olympics roll around, but he's still going strong right now. He's coming off his 11th straight season with at least 1,000 receiving yards, tying legendary receiver Jerry Rice's record. He barely reached the mark this year, recording 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he also missed a handful of games.

Before Evans thinks about winning gold, he'll continue chasing his second Super Bowl victory. The Bucs are coming off a fifth straight postseason appearance but couldn't get past the divisional round while dealing with a handful of injuries. Tampa Bay will look to return a healthy roster next season and get closer to its championship goal

Miscues in the fourth quarter proved to be the downfall for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

The Washington Commanders secured a narrow 23-20 victory over the Buccaneers, highlighted by a dramatic, doinked game-winning field goal from kicker Zane Gonzalez in their wild card matchup at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Jayden Daniels, the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, delivered an impressive performance, completing 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, propelling the Commanders to the NFC Divisional Playoffs.

For the Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and the rest of the team endured another heartbreaking loss to close their season. Mayfield fought hard, finishing 15-of-18 for 185 yards, two touchdowns but had a costly lost fumble.

The Buccaneers made too many errors on the offensive side, including fumbles and missed snaps, while the team's clock management on Washington's final drive also drew criticism on social media:

Tampa Bay kicker Chase McLaughlin opened the scoring on Sunday with a 50-yard field goal early in the first quarter on the Buccaneers' first possession. Tampa Bay's defense held Washington scoreless in the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, Washington's Dyami Brown scored on a 10-yard pass from Daniels, followed by a field goal from Gonzalez, giving the Commanders a 10-3 lead with 1:52 left in the half.

Tampa Bay quickly responded with a 1:43 possession capped by a touchdown pass from Mayfield to Evans, tying the game at 10-10 heading into halftime.

Out of the break, Gonzalez hit a 22-yard field goal on Washington's first possession of the third quarter. However, Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving found the end zone with 4:31 left in the quarter, giving the Buccaneers a 17-13 lead heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was full of excitement.

It began with a crucial goal-line stand by Tampa Bay's defense, stopping Washington on fourth down in the red zone. However, moments later, the Buccaneers fumbled at their own 11-yard line, with linebacker Bobby Wagner recovering the ball and shifting momentum back to Washington. The turnover set up a touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, giving the Commanders a 20-17 lead.

Tampa Bay responded with a McLaughlin field goal, tying the game at 20 with 4:41 left in regulation. The Commanders then mounted an impressive drive, chewing up over 4:30 of the remaining clock, before Gonzalez doinked the game-winning field goal from 37 yards to seal the victory.

The No. 6 seed Commanders will travel to Detroit to face the top-seeded Lions on Jan. 18.

Mike Evans matching Jerry Rice's all-time record by completing his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season on Sunday was meaningful, not just to his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates, but to general manager Jason Licht's family.

Licht told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer that Evans has gotten close to his family during the receiver's 11 seasons in Tampa Bay.

"We talk about Mike at the dinner table," Licht told Breer. "All week long, even when we went out to dinner last night, it was like, Is Mike going to get his 1,000 yards? You have to make sure he gets his 1,000 yards.

"I could go on and on. We would do anything for Mike."

Licht then told Breer: "To my family, I don't think we can put him in a higher light."

Evans was the first player Licht drafted after he was hired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager in 2014. He went on to record at least 1,000 yards in each of his first 10 NFL seasons.

The wideout headed into Sunday's Week 18 matchup with the New Orleans Saints just 85 yards shy of the quadruple-digit mark and Rice's all-time record.

According to Breer, Licht prepared for the win by having custom hats celebrating Evans' achievement made.

Evans was five yards short with two minutes on the clock when the Bucs reached the Saints' 11-yard line.

But the Bucs chose not to pass, handing the ball to Bucky Irving for a rushing touchdown instead. The score sealed Tampa Bay's win but appeared to put the record out of Evans' reach.

As Breer wrote:

With five minutes left, and Evans close, Licht went downstairs to watch the end of the game from the field—only to see Bucky Irving score with two minutes left, which got the Bucs closer to a win, but seemed to end the receiver's pursuit at 995. The equipment guys then took the hats to Licht's car, just as Licht retreated to the equipment room.

Once they got back, one of the guys told him the hats were gone, and said, "Congrats on winning the division anyway." Licht responded that it wasn't over yet. Then, a text came from former Bucs coach Bruce Arians. Tampa had the ball back.

Call a motherf---ing timeout!!

Head coach Todd Bowles called the timeout, and instead of kneeling had quarterback Baker Mayfield find Evans as time ran down on the final play of the game.

Mayfield then attended his postgame press conference wearing the hat the Bucs staff had gotten to hand out after all.

Evans later thanked his teammates for setting up the catch, which earned him a $3 million bonus even as the Bucs clinched a fourth straight NFC South title.

The Bucs will now look for Evans to continue his stellar season when Tampa Bay begins the postseason against the Washington Commanders in the Wild Card round.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans entered Sunday's regular-season finale against the New Orleans Saints needing five catches and 85 yards to trigger a $3 million bonus for getting 70 catches, 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on the year.

That 85-yard mark would also tie Evans with NFL legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons of all time at 11.

With 36 seconds remaining, Evans needed just five more yards, but he got that plus four more after quarterback Baker Mayfield hit him with a pass.

With that, Evans finished the year with 74 catches, 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns after his nine-reception, 89-yard outing.

And for the Bucs, that capped a 27-19 win which sealed a 10-7 season, an NFC South title and a playoff berth.

The Bucs took possession after the Saints turned the ball over on downs. Tampa Bay was in a position to run out the clock and end the game, but it was clear getting Evans to the 1,000-yard mark was important for every Buc involved before doing so.

Mayfield stepped back and found an open Evans, who jubilant teammates mauled after he surpassed 1,000 yards yet again.

Evans spoke about it afterward, per Mike Jones of The Athletic.

It was an incredible moment for a beloved and surefire Pro Football Hall of Famer, who posted his 74/1,004/11 season despite missing three-plus games this year with a hamstring injury.

Rice is one of the greatest NFL players of all time, and he's beyond approach at the wide receiver position. So for Evans to be on the same plane as him in a category is incredible work. His consistency is unmatched, having accomplished the 1,000-yard feat in each of his seasons.

Evans needs three more 1,000-yard seasons to tie Rice's mark of 14 for the most all-time, and it wouldn't be a big surprise to see him get there someday.

In the meantime, Evans and the Bucs look forward to the Wild Card round, where they will play Saturday, Sunday or Monday against the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings or Washington Commanders.

While the primary focus for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18 is beating the New Orleans Saints to clinch the NFC South, Mike Evans can earn himself a nice chunk of change with a good performance.

Per NFL Network's Peter Schrager, Evans needs five receptions and 85 yards on Sunday to hit the incentives in his contract for an extra $3 million.

Evans currently has 65 receptions and 915 yards this season. The yardage total is notable because he has never finished with fewer than 1,001 receiving yards in a season in his career.

Evans' 10 seasons with at least 1,000 yards are tied with Randy Moss for the second-most in NFL history, trailing only Jerry Rice's at 14. He is also the only player in NFL history to start his career with 1,000 yards in 10 consecutive seasons.

The only reason Evans' streak is in jeopardy is because he missed three games earlier in the season due to a hamstring injury. New Orleans would seem like a good opponent to have a big game against, but he only had two catches for 34 yards in the first matchup against this defense in Week 6.

Granted, that was at a point when the Saints were still trying to win games. They enter Week 18 having lost three straight, including a 25-10 defeat against the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 29.

Another key difference from that game is Chris Godwin was healthy. He had 11 catches on 13 targets for 125 yards and two touchdowns but suffered a season-ending dislocated ankle that required surgery the following week against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Buccaneers can clinch the NFC South with a win over the Saints or a loss by the Atlanta Falcons against the Carolina Panthers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is "planning to play" in Sunday's game against the New York Giants, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Evans has been out of action since Tampa Bay's 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7 due to a hamstring injury.

The Bucs are riding a four-game losing streak, though they're still second in the NFC South at 4-6. Nine wins were enough to win the division last year and that could be the case again with the first-place Atlanta Falcons (6-5) failing to run away from the pack.

Tight end Cade Otton has stepped up in a big way, setting personal highs in catches (49) and yardage (456) already. Rachaad White's pass-catching ability out of the backfield has also been a nice luxury for the offense with Evans unavailable.

His return will be a boost to Tampa Bay's playoff hopes, but the five-time Pro Bowler was performing well below his usual standard when he got injured. He has 26 receptions for 335 yards and six touchdowns through seven games, his 47.9 yards per contest on pace to be a career low.

Still, having Evans at a little below his best is better than nothing when the Bucs are without Chris Godwin for the rest of the year after he dislocated his ankle in Week 7.