The 2025 NFL season is officially in the rear-view.
A season capped off by the Seattle Seahawks winning Super Bowl 60 over the New England Patriots saw many streaks come to an end. The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t win the AFC West for the first time in a decade. Baltimore missed the playoffs and parted ways with coach John Harbaugh after 18 years. The team that knocked them out of contention – Pittsburgh – has a new coach in 2026 for the first time since 2007 after Mike Tomlin stepped down.
On an individual level, one of the more remarkable streaks came to an end. For the first time in his 12-year career, wide receiver Mike Evans did not reach 1,000 receiving yards. An injury-marred season limited him to 368 yards in just eight games.
He’s not done yet, though.
Evans will return in 2026 for a 13th season, per multiple reports. He turns 33 years old in August and will be a free agent this offseason.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Evans No. 7 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. He’s spent the entirety of his 12-year career with the Buccaneers. Those 12 years featured two second-team All-Pro awards and six Pro Bowl honors.
Evans suffered hamstring and clavicle injuries as well as a concussion in 2025, which kept him out for nine out of 17 games. He’d tied Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice for the most 1,000-yard receiving seasons in a row with 11 entering the 2025 season, but the injuries meant he would not break that long-standing record.
Evans will test free agency for the first time in his career this offseason. Tampa Bay may end up bringing him back; the franchise has $23.9 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.
But the team has young talent at the position in Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, and Tez Johnson as well as veteran Chris Godwin and could decide to spend that money elsewhere.
Mike Evans career stats
Here’s how Evans ranks all-time in receiving statistics:
- Receptions: 866 (31st)
- Receiving yards: 13,052 (21st)
- Receiving touchdowns: 108 (10th)
- Scrimmage yards: 13,062 (51st)