Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has caught touchdown passes from notable quarterbacks at every step of his career. While the perennial All-Pro wideout has pulled in touchdown passes from the likes of Tom Brady, Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick, he does a comparison between Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel.
Heading into his age-31 season, Evans holds the NFL record with 10 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start his career. Remarkably, if you include college football, that streak extends to 12 consecutive years. As he reflects upon everything he’s done on the field, Evans does believe that there’s a legit comparison to be made between the two Heisman Trophy quarterbacks.
- Baker Mayfield stats 2023: 4,044 passing yards, 7.1 yards per attempt, 28-10 TD-INT, 64.3% completion rate, 94.6 QB rating
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During a recent appearance on TexAgs Radio, Evans explained why he does see a real similarity in playing with Mayfield in the Aggies’ offense and teaming up with Mayfield now in the NFL.
“Man, Baker, man, he surprised me a lot. With not his game, I knew he was a really good player, just how he is as a leader and a teammate. He really surprised me a lot. He’s similar to Johnny, his playing style. I mean, really similar. So it was easy to adjust to play with him. Shorter quarterback. Great athlete. Throws like a baseball player, like really tight spiral. Really good arm. Improvise, can do all those things. Super tough. So I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this year.”
Mike Evans on Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel (H/T JoeBucsFan.com)
- Johnny Manziel stats (2012-’13): 7,820 passing yards, 68.9 percent completion rate, 9.1 yards per attempt, 63 passing touchdowns, 164.1 QB rating
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In Evans’ defense, the connection he had with Mayfield at Texas A&M was special. In their first season together, the 6-foot-5 receiver pulled down 82 receptions for 1,105 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. The following year, Evans set personal bests in receiving yards (1,394) and touchdowns (12), earning first-team All-American honors.
It’s also fair to say the experience of playing with Mayfield at Texas A&M helped prepare Evans for what life would be like catching passes from Mayfield. In their first season together, the quarterback-receiver duo both earned Pro Bowl selections and their strong seasons led to new contracts that made them two of the highest-paid NFL players.
Now over a decade removed from playing with his former college quarterback, Evans certainly seems to appreciate their time together and how they helped one another. While some might see the comparison as a bad thing, considering Manziel became a draft bust, the All-Pro wide receiver recognizes both of his quarterbacks had qualities that helped him thrive.
