Buccaneers Pro Bowler says he 'never wants to go back' to early days with team

Wide receiver Mike Evans is entering his 11th season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024.

The five-time Pro Bowler said on Wednesday that he doesn't miss the early days he spent with the team.

The Buccaneers selected Evans with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft after going 4-12 in 2013, which was their third straight last-place finish.

Evans started his career in Tampa Bay with the team having missed the playoffs six straight times and nine of the previous 11 years, while also not winning a postseason game since its run to a Super Bowl title during the 2002 campaign.

The mediocrity, and abysmal play at times, continued through the Texas A&M product's first six years in the league with four more last-place finishes from 2014-2019, just one winning season and no playoff berths.

Evans helped carry the load on offense through the rough patch, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and beginning his streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons, which is still active entering 2024 and approaching historic territory.

Then Tom Brady arrived before the 2020 campaign and led the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl LV crown over the Kansas City Chiefs, with Evans acting as his No. 1 target.

The 30-year-old pass-catcher added another Pro Bowl honor in 2021 with a career-high 14 touchdown receptions and made his fifth Pro Bowl in 2023 after tying Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins for the league lead with 13 scores through the air.

Evans' 95 career touchdowns and 15.3 yards per touch lead all active players, while his 94 receiving scores rank second, and 11,680 receiving yards are third. He's also third in franchise history in games played (154) and leads Tampa Bay in almost every notable receiving category, including touchdowns, targets (1,324), receptions and receiving yards.

Evans signed a new two-year, $41M contract in early March and will look to lead the Bucs back to the postseason again over the winter.