Down to the last 36 seconds of the season, Baker Mayfield and the Bucs were poised to get Mike Evans his record, along with a $3 million bonus. Despite holding an eight-point lead over the New Orleans Saints with minimal time on the clock, the Buccaneers lined up ready to run a play. All Tampa Bay had to do was take a knee and they would be NFC South champions. 

But Evans was only five yards short of eclipsing 1,000 yards on the year. So, the Bucs ran one last play where they hit Mike Evans on an out route. The play call was designed to get Evans open and get him the ball quickly, which they executed to perfection.

Evans has now recorded at least 1,000 receiving yards for the 11th consecutive season, tying Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most all-time. Rice accomplished this with the San Francisco 49ers from 1986-96. Rice ultimately finished his career with a staggering 14 1,000+ yard seasons.

Evans recorded nine receptions for 89 yards Sunday in the Bucs victory over the Saints. Despite missing three games with a hamstring injury, Evans finished the season with 1,004 receiving yards and was able to secure a $3 million bonus to boot. 

With the Bucs’ 27-19 win over the Saints, they officially clinched their fourth-consecutive NFC South title and earned the 3-seed in the NFC. Tampa Bay will now host Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in the Wild Card round on Sunday night. If the Bucs can win that game, Evans will receive another $500,000 bonus.

Although taking a knee and ending the game was probably the logical decision, Mayfield and the Bucs were able to get Evans his record and a multi-million dollar bonus. Coming into Sunday, only the all-time great Jerry Rice had ever recorded 11 consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards. He will now be joined by Mike Evans in the history books as the only other player in NFL history to accomplish such a feat.