Bucs’ WR Requests Baker Mayfield’s Help in 5-word Message As 4 Rookies Signed From 2025 Draft Class

Mike Evans’s Instagram caption—a clip of him torching secondary paired with five spicy words—wasn’t just a highlight reel flex. It was a Bat-Signal to Baker Mayfield. Translation: Let’s cook. Again. Because when you’re the NFL’s only active receiver with 11 straight 1K seasons (tying Jerry Freakin’ Rice), you don’t ask for history—you demand fireworks.

The five spicy words were “2025, I need my longest TD.” Evans isn’t just Tampa’s GOAT (836 catches, 12,684 yards, 105 TDs—all franchise records). He’s a walking cheat code. Even at 31, after inking a $52M extension, he’s out here averaging 13.6 YPR and snagging 11 TDs in 14 games despite a hammy hiccup.

But here’s the kicker: Evans doesn’t chase stats. Stats chase him. “Mike won’t say anything about it,” Mayfield admits, “but get him the rock, and he’ll move chains like a metronome.” Their chemistry? Think Jay-Z and Beyoncé at the Super Bowl.

When Evans hit his 100th career TD last season, Mayfield hit him with the ultimate mic drop: “He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer.” And after that 75-yard house call against Carolina in the 2023 season—Evans’s longest TD ever—Baker gushed, “Mike’s one-of-one.” Translation: Dude’s the human equivalent of a 4th-quarter Hail Mary. Clutch. Cinematic. Unfakeable.

Post-Evans rookie roll call: The new blood

While Evans plots his next record-shattering fade route, Tampa’s 2025 draft class is already turning heads. Four rookies—CB Jacob Parrish (4.40 speed, 5 picks in college), edge rusher David Walker (31 sacks at Central Arkansas), DL Elijah Roberts (17.5 sacks at SMU), and WR Tez Johnson (Oregon’s slot magician)—inked deals faster than you can say ‘Tom Brady’s retired, but the vibes ain’t.’

Parrish, a 3rd-round steal, brings Top Gun energy: “I feel the need…for INTs.” Walker? He’s all business, rocking No. 51 like a young Derrick Brooks. And Roberts—a 6’4”, 285-pound Swiss Army knife—could bench-press a Prius. But the sleeper? Tez Johnson. At 5’10”, 165 lbs, he’s got ‘human joystick’ written all over him. Think Tyreek Hill’s twitchy cousin.

GM Jason Licht isn’t playing: “These kids aren’t here to watch. They’re here to wreck.” With unsigned 1st-round WR Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State’s route-running savant) and 2nd-round CB Benjamin Morrison still looming, Tampa’s roster is stacked like a poker champ’s chip pile.

Evans’ legacy isn’t just stats—it’s swagger. The Bucs haven’t had a losing season since 2019, and this draft class? It’s doubling down on that DNA. Parrish and Morrison lock down secondaries like Ocean’s 11 heists. Walker and Roberts? Pocket-crushing chaos. And Johnson? He’s here to make DBs question their life choices.

As Evans joked at minicamp: “Rooks better keep up. We don’t do participation trophies.” But behind the smoke, there’s fire. This isn’t just a team—it’s a family. Remember when Evans gifted Brady’s 600th TD ball to a fan? Pure heart. And when he donate $4.7M to charity? Pure class.

So, yeah, that Instagram post? It’s not a request. It’s a promise. Evans wants that deep-ball crown, Baker’s got the cannon, and Tampa’s newbies? They’re the spark. As the great Al Davis once growled: ‘Just win, baby.’ In Champa Bay, they’re writing the sequel.

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