The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are lucky to have a plethora of former and current players who have meant enough to the organization to stick around for their entire careers or close to it.
One of those players is 16-year NFL player and Buccaneers' legendary nickel cornerback Ronde Barber. Barber, who was drafted out of Virginia in 1997, spent his entire career in Tampa Bay and has received numerous accolades, records and a Super Bowl ring for his performance over that span of helping the Bucs own one of the best defenses the league has ever seen.
The Bucs have a rich history of retaining their 'homegrown' guys with the likes of Barber, Derrick Brooks, and Lavonte David leading the way. However, there are a couple of guys still on the roster, outside of David, that could potentially fit that same mold in Tristan Wirfs, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Chris Godwin.
While those names do come to mind as the next group of Buccaneers' legends to stay with the organization their entire careers, there is one player that stands out even more so, and that is wide receiver Mike Evans.
When speaking in a one-on-one interview with sports reporter DJ Siddiqi, Barber elaborated on whether he thinks that Evans will finish out his career in red and pewter.
“Absolutely,” Barber said. “No doubt, I have no doubt in my mind that dude will never wear another jersey unless he unretires unexpectedly after he leaves here... There’s very few one-time Bucs players that are that good. Obviously, if you only play a couple years, it’s easy to be a one-team player, but you don’t put in what he’s put in and accomplish what he’s accomplished and go somewhere else and play.”
We have already notated some of the greats that have come through and left a mark on the Bucs' franchise, but having another group that is spearheaded by a player of Evans' stature would be truly amazing and would continue to show how important it is to the front office to keep their guys home rather than just treating the game and the players as a business.
“I’m hoping that’s mutual, hoping he feels that way,” says Barber. “I’m pretty certain the Bucs feel that way, so he’s going to retire a Buc and go to the Hall of Fame as a Buc. It’s unbelievable.”
Evans is on a historic pace for a wide receiver. Despite not garnering the national attention or respect that he undoubtedly deserves, Evans has quietly put together 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, tying him with the great Jerry Rice for most consecutive seasons with 1,000 yards receiving.
Rice still holds the record for total seasons over 1,000 receiving yards with 14, and while it would be difficult to reach that staggering record, Mike Evans has proven that he has what it takes to be able to do so. With records and accolades in hand, including a Lombardi Trophy, there is no doubt in my mind that Evans will retire as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer — continuing to give back to the organization and community that has fully invested themselves in him.
