Ronde Barber Evaluates Mike Evans’ Hall Of Fame Case

At the same time, though, Barber said he thinks Evans will be challenged by Hall of Fame voters because of the fact that he has only experienced a small window of team success in his career – and that came with the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, under center.

“The next one? It probably is Mike,” Barber said. “His career, not that he can just stop now and just say ‘Hall of Famer…’ It takes unprecedentedness to get to that level, especially in the minds of people. I mean, Mike’s only had [team] success for three years, and it was only those years when Tom [Brady] was here. So, he’ll probably have that against him. What Mike, I hope, does this year or next year and while he’s still here is elevate this team to a position of power without Tom Brady.

“Then, you’ll start saying, ‘It’s inevitable. This guy is who everybody says is. He is what his numbers tell you he is. Because he’s unprecedented.’ He gets left out of the conversation of top receivers because he doesn’t have the flashy metrics – not even the numbers – he doesn’t have the flashy metrics those guys have. The speed, the jumping ability, playing in a high-octane type of setting, he doesn’t have that. But when you look at impact on a game, I’ve watched it for nine years – it’s unbelievable.”

Barber is right, as Mike Evans is constantly discounted nationally despite the fact that he has already done something unprecedented – start his career with nine consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons – but narratives still exist that (incorrectly) insinuate that his success was a result of Brady.

That nine-year streak began with Mike Glennon and Josh McCown before continuing with Jameis Winston. Evans was already established when Brady arrived, and it was Brady who helped him achieve that team success that he needed to get more respect – and a Super Bowl ring.

But now, despite the fact that he has 10,425 receiving yards and 81 touchdowns in nine seasons, Evans will have to continue fighting for respect – and consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Ronde Barber Thinks Mike Evans Will Find Himself In The Hall Of Fame Conversation

On the trajectory he’s on, Mike Evans will certainly be a Pro Football Hall of Famer eventually. As Scott Reynolds pointed out in a recent edition of the Bucs Mailbag on PewterReport.com, four more 1,000-yard seasons over the next four years will give him 14,425 career receiving yards. That would move him into 10th place on the NFL’s all-time receiving yards list, ahead of Reggie Wayne (14,345 yards) and just behind Marvin Harrison (14,580 yards).

There’s a case to be made for Evans right now, but he only turns 30 this August. He still has some years in him, and those years will presumably be in Tampa Bay once he and the team come to an agreement on a contract extension. Ronde Barber is a fellow team legend, and he thinks that by the time Evans calls it a career, he will find himself firmly in the Pro Football Hall of Fame conversation.

“I look at the impact that he’s had on the team. We’re not the same team without him. Take him out of the equation, and we’re not the same team, man. He’s a difference-maker,” Barber said on the Pewter Report Podcast. “I think people don’t give him credit for being a downfield, fast guy. I’ve seen him run by people who are two-tenths of a second faster on the stop-clock. It’s just who he is.

“People in the game know and respect what he brings to the game. Defensive coordinators certainly know who the hell he is. They’re like ‘We are stopping that dude. If we don’t account for that dude, he’s going to beat us.’ I think that says about all you can for him. I think [if] he stays on this path, it’s going to be inevitable that he’s in that conversation.”

Barber waited a long time to get his deserved Hall of Fame nod, but he said that getting into the conversation is the first step. Because then, it comes down to a real look at the scope of a player’s career, and that’s when the case can be cemented.

“I’ve obviously been the six years of my eligibility trying to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Barber said on the Pewter Report Podcast. “All you really want to do is be in the conversation. Because eventually, it forces everybody to look at you critically, and then if the presenter gets it right – thank you, Ira [Kaufman] – when he gets it right, you get in. I think when you look at Mike Evans critically when it’s all said and done, his numbers are going to be inevitable.”

Watch Ronde Barber On The Pewter Report Podcast

You can catch the Ronde Barber’s full appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast below: