TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans said Tuesday that he hasn't thought about his future beyond Saturday's regular-season finale hosting the Carolina Panthers, a game the Bucs must win, in addition to needing the New Orleans Saints to defeat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, to reach the playoffs.
The franchise's leading career scorer, who is 32 and finishing his 12th season, is not under contract next year and hasn't committed to playing beyond 2025, although he has long said he wants to finish his career with Tampa Bay.
"I just approach it how I always approach it," Evans said. "It's whatever happens, happens. I'll focus on that when the time is right. Right now, we have to win. And I'm always giving my all and I'm always gonna go out swinging."
It certainly has the makings of a super sendoff if he wanted it that way, with the exception of the team's current predicament -- losing seven of its past eight games and needing some help to reach the playoffs. The team is giving the first 13,000 fans bobbleheads of Evans, in his No. 13 jersey, doing his signature celebratory salute.
He joked about the youthful depiction of his bobblehead's hair, much more reminiscent of his as a 20-year-old seventh overall draft pick out of Texas A&M. Now he's a married father of four with six Pro Bowl selections to his name and a Super Bowl LV ring and has become one of the most celebrated players in the team's history, with fans even tattooing his image and his autograph to their bodies.
He's not sure whether there will be emotions.
"I'll know when I get out there and see, but right now I'm just treating it like a normal game," Evans said. "And obviously we have to win it and do our part and cheer another team on Sunday."
Coach Todd Bowles echoed that when asked Tuesday about the possibility of it being not just Evans' last game but also that of inside linebacker Lavonte David.
"I think we need to win because we need to win," Bowles said. "The fact that it could be or could not be their last game is not even talked about at this time."
Evans was forced to miss six games this season with a broken collarbone -- the first broken bone of his career. He also missed three games with a hamstring strain. That ended his streak of 1,000-yard seasons at 11, tying him for first with Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. It was a career record Evans wanted to gain sole possession of this year, and he had Rice's blessing to do so, but then the collarbone injury hit.
After that, all he could think about was getting back. The team struggled in his absence.
"I mean, when the injury happened, you hear 'broken bone,' you think 'out for the season.' And they told me I would have a chance to play at the end of the season," Evans said. "So I was trying to expedite that process -- rehab extremely hard, the training staff did a great job, and I was able to come back. And that's one thing I've always prided myself in. If I'm healthy enough to play, I'm going to play. Like, I'm paid to play football, and the fans are wearing my jerseys in the stands to watch me play. So I just made a point to get back as fast as I could."
But it gave him a sneak preview of what retirement would be like. He found himself longing for the joy of playing.
"It's kind of a blessing in disguise," Evans said. "I missed the game more than I thought I would. And I come back and I still got the love for the game. And who knows what it'll do for me in the future?"
Last week at the Miami Dolphins, Evans became the 22nd player in NFL history to reach 13,000 receiving yards. He is also one of just nine players in league history with at least 850 receptions, 13,000 receiving yards and 100 touchdown receptions in their career, joining Rice, Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Tony Gonzalez, Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Larry Fitzgerald.
"It was looking tough this year, but thank God that I was able to come back and get healthy and get that," Evans said. "That's elite company, man. That's something I've never even dreamed of doing. So I thank God for it. ..."
