Watching history.
Joe doesn’t believe there is a person on the planet who would have the nerve to suggest Randy Moss wasn’t one of the best wide receivers who ever laced up a pair of cleats.
Moss had 1,000 yards receiving in his first seven seasons in the league. At the time, that was a record. Until Mike Evans came along.
Evans, of course, is tied for most consecutive seasons with 1,000 yards receiving with 11, tied with the great Jerry Rice. Evans has never not had 1,000 yards receiving in a season.
So of course, Evans has shattered Moss’ previous record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start a career. It’s 11 and counting for Evans.
Currently, Ben Solak of BSPN is on Evans’ watch for another reason: Establishing a new record for consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons at 12.
That’s how many times Bucs receiver Mike Evans will have produced a 1,000-yard receiving season if he does it again this year. Remember, it took an extra effort in Week 18 to get him to his 11th straight season, the most to ever start a career. Jerry Rice also had 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons from 1986 to 1996, though he didn’t have 1,000 yards in Year 1 like Evans did in 2014.
(Rice accumulated 14 total 1,000-yard seasons over his career, which is the record. Check back for my “100 things to watch in the 2028 NFL season” in a few years for an update on Evans’ pace versus the all-time great.)
So let’s say Evans breaks Rice’s record at 12. Will we ever see another receiver begin his career with 12 (or more) seasons of 1,000 yards receiving in a season?
That may be an unbreakable record. Especially when you consider a couple of all-time greats, Moss and Rice, couldn’t pull that off.
Yeah, we are in a passing league. More and more each year. And if the NFL adds an 18th game (which it will), that will help future receivers. And Joe may live long enough to see 20 games in a season. It’s not an absurd thought. Some 15 years ago did any of us envision an 18-game schedule? Yet here we are on the cusp of just that.
So until the NFL pushes to a 20-game schedule, Joe is of the mind Evans’ streak of 11 straight seasons of 1,000 yards receiving to start a career is damn near unbreakable.