Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans already owns the record to begin an NFL career with nine 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Now he's coming for Jerry Rice's mark of 11 straight such seasons in general.
"I think about. It's right there, so I'm gonna definitely try to go get that," Evans told KPRC 2 Houston’s Ari Alexander at his youth football camp this week. "I'm already one of one right now. I hope I can pass the great Jerry Rice and his record. Obviously, nobody will pass his records probably, like ever, total. But that 1,000-yard streak record would be cool to have."
Rice fell 73 receiving yards short of 1,000 during his 1985 rookie season before eclipsing the mark in each year from 1986-1996, six times leading the league during that span. He also holds the record for most 1,000-yard seasons overall with 14.
That's the bar Evans is chasing. Currently in a five-way tie for third-most 1,000-yard campaigns in a career, Evans can pass Randy Moss (10) for second-most overall and tie Jerry Rice's record of consecutive such seasons if he keeps his streak going through 2023 and 2024.
He's shown the consistency to do so.
Evans has somehow become a quiet superstar as he nears a full decade in the NFL, never leading the league in receiving yards as Rice so often did, but already totaling 10,425 before his age-30 season.
His annual delivery of 1,000-yard seasons has by now become the expectation -- practically on the back burner.
"I should get 1,000 yards if I'm healthy. Every year," Evans said. "It ain't that. I want to be one of the tops in the league. I want to be winning games. That's what I care about."
Some might question the likelihood that Evans continues on his pace to surpass Rice in the wake of Tom Brady's retirement, but he was putting up numbers long before TB12 arrived to rejuvenate the franchise.
Five seasons of his streak came with Jameis Winston at starting quarterback -- one of those saw Ryan Fitzpatrick make seven starts -- and Evans kicked off his career with 1,051 yards while catching passes from Josh McCown and Mike Glennon his rookie year.
2023 will mark Kyle Trask or Baker Mayfield's turn to work with Evans. Just like in himself, he has expressed confidence in both.
"Kyle's improved a lot," Evans said. "I'm really impressed with what I've seen from Baker. Whoever the quarterback will be, I'm positive they're going to make the right choice and we're going to win some games."
