Mike Evans left it late — very late — but he did it.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver entered Sunday's Week 18 game against the visiting New Orleans Saints needing to record 85 receiving yards in order to secure his 11th straight season with 1,000 or more receiving yards. The 31-year-old was expected to be called upon frequently during the game as the Bucs needed to win to ensure their advancement into the playoffs, so it only seemed like a matter of time until the the five-time Pro Bowl WR would reach the milestone.
However, the Saints made things tough on their hosts and inside the final minute of play Evans only had 80 of the required 85 yards to his name. A successful defensive stand by the Bucs meant that they got the ball at their own 32-yard line with 36 seconds left on the clock, giving Evans on last shot at the record.
Up 27-19, the traditional approach would be for Tampa Bay to take a knee on the first snap in order to run out the clock, but with Evans just five yards short of 1,000, quarterback Baker Mayfield looked for his star receiver and found him open for a 9-yard reception.
The last-minute catch secured the milestone for Evans, who is now tied with Hall-of-Famer Jerry Rice for the most consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
As if that wasn't enough, Evans triggered a $3 million bonus clause for surpassing the four-digit mark for receiving yards on the season. Evans joins Buffalo Bills LB Von Miller as the big individual winners on the final day of the regular season, with Miller having earned a $1.5 million bonus a few hours earlier.