TAMPA, Fla. -- The legend of Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans grew a bit more this summer, but it had nothing to do with a training camp sizzle reel of highlights or a sizable charitable contribution (although he's done quite a bit of both).
The five-time Pro Bowl player was at a Tampa gymnastics center in July watching his 8-year-old daughter Ariah complete an assessment for class placement, and saw the instructors attempting to spot her on a basic back bend. Evans had seen her turn not only countless cartwheels, but aerials with no hands, so he went down to the gym floor to lend some encouragement.
He told her, "Show 'em what you can do."
"They tried to put her in a beginner's level. In Texas, she was a little more advanced level," said Evans, who awarded 13 college scholarships totaling $150,000 this year. "They had her just doing like cartwheels and stuff, and she was just flipping all over the house. So, I just had to let the coach know, and then see what she can do."
On cue, Ariah busted out a picture-perfect (and much more difficult) back handspring. And then another. And another.
Shifting to his own athletic career, Evans said, "I've had great role models and people help me along the way. Early on, they told me, don't ever let nobody limit you and what you're able to do because God has given you a lot of gifts. So, work your butt off and use 'em to the max."
Evans is beginning his 11th season, and he has reached 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 10. Repeating that feat only cements his name in the record books.
First there's the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start a career record -- 10. Randy Moss is second at six.
Next, Evans broke a tie with Pro Football Hall of Famer Tim Brown for second-most consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons last season and has a chance to tie Hall of Famer Jerry Rice at 11.
Rice sits at the top with the most 1,000-yard seasons total (14 in 20 seasons), so even though he can't catch him this season, Evans can break a tie for second with Moss' 10.
Evans also extended his record of most 60-catch seasons to begin a career to 10 (2024 Hall of Fame inductee Andre Johnson is the next closest at eight).
Another feat -- Evans became only the fourth player in NFL history to reach 90 touchdowns and 11,000 yards in his first 10 seasons, joining the likes of Rice and Marvin Harrison. And for the first time in his career, at age 30, Evans captured a share of the NFL's regular-season touchdown crown with Tyreek Hill at 13 last season.
He also set a franchise record for most postseason yards in a game with 141 in the Bucs' divisional round loss to the Detroit Lions.
No matter who's calling the plays or making the throws, Evans has produced. Last season marked his sixth starting quarterback and fifth offensive coordinator.
"You look at how consistent Mike has been -- he's the definition of consistency," said quarterback Baker Mayfield, who will be going into Year 2 with the Bucs. "And when it comes down to it, all those accolades are great. I think we want it more for him than he really does because he just wants to win. That's the truth."
Coach Todd Bowles added, "He's smart, No. 1. He's durable, he takes care of his body, he's the ultimate pro, he comes back in shape all the time. He [does] what's necessary for him to get ready to play ball games, and he goes out and plays."
Evans says he believes he still has more to give.
"There's a lot more for me to chase, and there's a lot more that I have to prove to myself and the rest of the fanbase," Evans said just after re-signing on a two-year deal worth $52 million in March. "I left a lot on the table last year.
"I wish I could have been better. I wish I could have been better throughout my whole career. There's obviously always plays I think about, that I could have had to help us win more games, but I definitely gave it all I had physically, mentally -- that's what keeps me grounded. I always know that I can make more plays."
Evans is six touchdowns away from reaching 100 regular-season touchdowns. He's 13th all time -- second most among active players behind Davante Adams' 95. If he passes 100 TDs, it would put him in the top 10 -- an exclusive group that includes Rice (197), Moss (156), Terrell Owens (153), Cris Carter (130), Harrison (128), Larry Fitzgerald (121), Antonio Gates (116) and Tony Gonzalez (111). Brown and Steve Largent are tied for ninth at 100.
Only two of those players aren't in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Gates' first year of eligibility was in 2024 and Fitzgerald won't be eligible until 2026).
"I definitely want 100 touchdowns. Only a certain amount of guys have that," Evans said. "So that'll be elite, elite company to do that. And obviously Jerry's one of the best, arguably the best to ever do it and to have one of his records or tie it would be an amazing accomplishment for me. So I'm definitely gunning for all those."
Evans' 94 touchdowns are also sixth most in league history for a player's first 10 seasons. He is tied with Adams for 95 all-time receiving touchdowns -- regular and postseason combined -- and needs one touchdown to tie running back Eric Dickerson for the 26th-most overall touchdowns in NFL history at any position.
In terms of yardage -- Evans is currently 33rd all time in regular-season receiving yards with 11,680. Another 1,000 yards this season could move him up around 10 spots and possibly higher, with DeAndre Hopkins at No. 23 (12,355 yards). In the short term, another 155 receiving yards would push him past Don Maynard (11,834) for 32nd-most receiving yards, and with 162, he could pass Gates (11,841 yards). His 11,680 yards is sixth most in league history for a player's first 10 seasons.
Of course, very little of that is actually on Evans' mind this week with the team hosting the Washington Commanders in its season opener Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox). He just wants to win, and the offense is set up to take some big strides with increased protection for Mayfield, a revamped run game and more targets so the focus of an opponent's defense isn't solely on Evans.
"He'll get his touches. He'll get his yards," Mayfield said. "He's done it with pretty much everybody, so it won't stop now, and just with the added weapons that we have and the new scheme, it should be a great thing for him."