Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans suffered a broken clavicle and is going to miss most of the remainder of the 2025 season, head coach Todd Bowles announced Monday night.
"He'll be out mostly toward the end of the year," Bowles said. "We'll see what happens."
It's hardly a detailed diagnosis, but it's devastating news for Evans and the Buccaneers (5-2) regardless with Evans out for the foreseeable future and perhaps the remainder of the regular season. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport noted that a typical timeline for a return from a broken clavicle would be six to eight weeks, which could potentially lead to a December return. So, while Evans' remarkable career-long streak of 1,000-yard campaigns has concluded, he could be back for a playoff berth.
Evans was carted to the locker room during Monday's loss to the Detroit Lions after suffering a concussion and what was announced as a shoulder injury that led to him quickly being ruled out of the game. Now, he'll miss plenty more games to come.
Evans, tracking a deep pass, was defended by the Lions' Rock Ya-Sin and came down on the play, the side of his head crashing onto the turf. He appeared to lose consciousness after the impact, which came with five minutes left in the second quarter.
Evans was attended to on the field and walked off, subsequently getting evaluated and then carted off as he was in visible pain.
The 32-year-old was active Monday after missing the previous three games with a hamstring injury. His return lasted just 13 snaps, seeing him targeted four times by Baker Mayfield but coming away without a catch.
Evans' exit came with the Bucs trailing, 14-0, and leaves a diminished receiving crew all the more compromised. Rookie Emeka Egbuka, also dealing with a hamstring injury, is active, while veteran standout Chris Godwin is out and dealing with a fibula injury.
A six-time Pro Bowler, Evans, who has 14 receptions for 140 yards this years, has memorably tallied 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start his career.
That streak was already in jeopardy after missing three games and now has been ended, but the biggest concern currently is the Buccaneer's long-term health as he's dealing with multiple injuries after coming back from another.
For the Bucs, they'll need to rebound from Monday's loss and the even larger loss of Evans.
"It's never good to see one of your star players go down like that, especially with him just coming back and everybody excited to see him," Bowles said. "So, it's a blow and we've been holding down since he's been gone and we just got to regroup and come back."
