Jerry Rice. Randy Moss. Terrell Owens. Cris Carter. Marvin Harrison. Larry Fitzgerald. Antonio Gates. Tony Gonzalez. Tim Brown. Steve Largent.
And now Mike Evans.
There are now 11 players in the 105-year history of the National Football League who have caught 100 or more touchdown passes in their careers, as Evans joined that incredibly elite club on Monday night with his 25-yard scoring reception in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens. It was Evans' sixth touchdown catch in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' seventh game of the 2024 season.
Of the 10 players who preceded Evans into the prestigious Century Club, eight are already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only exceptions are Fitzgerald, a likely first-ballot choice when he becomes eligible, and Gates, who was a finalist for the Class of 2024 in his first year of eligibility.
Evans' 100th touchdown reception broke a tie with Don Hutson, a star for the Green Bay Packers in the 1930s and '40s, for 11th place in NFL history. It also put him into a tie for ninth place with Tim Brown and Steve Largent, both of whom caught 100 touchdown passes. It's a bit of a jump from there to eighth place, where Tony Gonzalez resides with 111.
Evans snared that 100th scoring pass in the 161st game of his career, making him the fifth fastest player to reach that mark in league annals. Rice was the quickest, doing so in his 120th game, followed by Moss at 129, Owens at 141 and Harrison at 143.
Mike Evans joined an exclusive group of all-time NFL greats on Monday, most of whom are already enshrined in Canton. It's looking increasingly likely that Evans will be joining them there at some point as well.
