It is somewhat unusual to see receivers in American football with exceptional size such as Mike Evans. Most receivers in the league are for the most part between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches. Moreover, the average weight of these receivers is around 200 lb. Evans on the other hand is a massive 6 feet 5 inches and 231 lb. In a league where most big men are tight ends and who have a slightly different skill set, Evans has managed to carve out his own identity.
There were quite a few misconceptions in the league, especially initially in his career. Due to his advantage in height, it is very easy for him to win aerial battles against the respective secondary of the opposition. He became known as the jump ball expert who caught all his catches and touchdowns over the top of defenders’ heads. However, a closer look at his overall game has put those notions to rest.
Evans, at the wide receivers position, has done something so remarkable that nobody has been able to do before. And we are talking about absolute legends of the game that have come before him. He is the first receiver in the history of the NFL to have over 1,000 receiving yards in his first nine years. This is an absolutely crazy stat, as it means, he has achieved this with excellent route running, great ball catching skills, staying healthy and missing a minimum amount of games by not getting injured and a combination of many simpler things.
But with all these good qualities he has depicted on the field of football, there has been one unfortunate incident of late that has put a small dent in his impressive nine-year career so far.
Why was Mike Evans Suspended
In a regular season game of week 2 in the 2022 NFL season between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints, Mike Evans got in a heated fight with the Saints’ cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
The whole incident started when Bucs quarterback Tom Brady and Lattimore exchanged a pair of words after a play. After Lattimore said something to Brady, Leonard Fournette, the Bucs running backs shoved Lattimore, who in return shoved him back. Seeing this from near the sideline, Evans broke into a run and pushed Lattimore to the ground in full force.
As more and more players from either team got in on the scuffle, the referees had to break up the brawl and commanded both teams to back to their respective sidelines to await further communication. Eventually, the referees decided to eject both Evans and Lattimore from the game for causing the initial incident leading up to the entire commotion.
What was worse for Evans, though, is that he ended up receiving a one game suspension on top of the ejection. The reason only Evans was suspended is that while Lattimore may have started it, it was Evans who actually got physical and brought Lattimore down.
Mike Evans’ beef with Marshon Lattimore
While you may think that the above incident was a one-off situation, it is far from it. Evans and Lattimore actually have quite a bit of history as they don’t like each other very much. Back in 2017, Lattimore was in his rookie season and Evans was already established as a fourth year player. During a similar divisional game between the Bucs and the Saints, Lattimore said something to Jameis Winston who was the Bucs quarterback at the time.
When Lattimore turned around, Winston shoved his finger in the back of his helmet. Not going to let it slide, Lattimore shoved Winston in the chest. While all this was going on, Evans came racing out of nowhere and completely drilled Lattimore to the ground. Luckily, nobody was ejected in that game, but Winston later received a $12,000 fine for physically taunting Lattimore and Evans received yet another one game suspension for his actions.
A few years after that in 2020, the two were again at each other's throats constantly bickering amongst themselves but fortunately for the players and their respective teams, things didn’t escalate beyond that.
Now, only time will tell whether or not this intense rivalry will let up any time soon or if there will be even more fireworks waiting to happen in the future.
FAQs
A. Mike Evans holds the record for consecutive 1,000-plus receiving yards seasons from his rookie year after he passed Randy Moss who had seven such years.
A. Mike Evans was drafted by the Buccaneers in 2014 and since then has been playing for the same franchise.
A. Mike Evans is a top-level wide receiver who makes a strong case for being a top-ten candidate in his position.
A. Standing 6 feet 5 inches and weighing 231 lb. Mike Evans is a typically large wide receiver.
