TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Mike Evans hopes one of his idols, Randy Moss, was watching.
Tampa Bay's career receiving leader went over 1,000 yards for the 11th consecutive season Sunday, tying Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's NFL record and remaining on track to meet a challenge Moss, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, posed when Evans broke one of his records four years ago.
Evans is the only player in league history to begin a career with 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons. He reached the milestone this season despite missing three full games and most of a fourth with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for much of a four-game losing streak that threatened to undermine Tampa Bay’s bid for a fourth straight NFC South title.
“I trained with Randy. I’ve been praying for him and his family. He’s one of the best receivers ever,” Evans said after reaching the milestone on a 9-yard reception from Baker Mayfield on the final play of the Buccaneers' playoff-clinching 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
“I broke his record initially, six straight. He challenged me to do it every year of my career,” Evans added. “That’s always been in the back of my mind coming from one of my idols, a guy I trained with, a guy who helped me get to where I am. I’ve been praying for you Big Bro, and I’m going to try to do what you challenged me to do.”
The 31-year-old receiver finished with nine catches for 89 yards, boosting his season totals to 74 receptions for 1,004 yards.
The seventh overall pick from the 2014 draft, Evans holds every significant receiving record in franchise history. He's also the team's all-time scoring leader and on Sunday broke a tie with Moss, another Hall of Famer, for the second-most 1,000-yard receiving seasons in NFL history.
Rice, who had 1,000-plus yards receiving in 11 consecutive seasons from 1986 to 1996, is the all-time leader with 14.
“He’s earned it,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “He’s done everything for this organization and this team.”
Sunday's victory was the team's sixth in seven games and not only clinched the division title, but ensured Tampa Bay will begin the playoffs with a home game.
Evans began the day needing 85 yards to reach 1,000. He had three catches for 30 yards — leaving him 5 yards shy — on a 12-play, 94-yard that rookie Bucky Irving finished with an 11-yard touchdown run with 1:51 remaining.
The Bucs defense helped Evans get the record, stopping New Orleans on downs with 36 seconds remaining.
“Everybody wanted him to have it,” Bowles said. “Bucky with experience probably should have gone down.”
Mayfield threw a quick pass to Evans on the next play, and the determined receiver turned it into a 9-yard gain that set off a wild celebration as teammates streamed off the sideline at Raymond James Stadium.
“The Saints didn’t make it easy. They knew what was at stake. They were talking the whole time,” Evans said. “They said, ’Stay on 13. … They kept saying it over and over. So we knew they were aware of the record. I’m just happy I got it.”
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans smiles during a post-game news conference after an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) is brought down by New Orleans Saints safety Jordan Howden (31) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) is tackled by New Orleans Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (14), safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) and cornerback Will Harris (5) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
New Orleans Saints safety Jordan Howden intercepts a deflected pass intended for Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting higher as Wall Street’s superstar, Nvidia, steams toward another record. The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher in early trading Tuesday. The index is on track for a third straight gain following a five-day swoon that bridged the new year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 180 points, or 0.4%. The Nasdaq composite was up 0.3%. Nvidia rose after its CEO unveiled a suite of new products and partnerships at a keynote address the night before at a major electronics conference. Shutterstock and Getty soared after announcing they were combining to become a $3.7 billion visual content company.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
Wall Street inched modestly higher in premarket trading Tuesday amid a flurry of corporate news during a week of critical economic data being released by Washington.
Futures for the S&P 500 were up just 0.1% before the bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrials Average rose about 0.2%.
Shares of Shutterstock and Getty Images both soared after they announced they were joining to become a $3.7 billion visual content company to provide customers with a broader array still imagery, video, music, 3D and other media.
Getty Images shareholders will own about 54.7% of the combined company and Shutterstock stockholders will own approximately 45.3%. Getty shares jumped more than 57% in premarket, while Shutterstock climbed 32%.
Meta Platforms shares were largely unchanged after the owner of Facebook appointed three new directors to its board, including Dana White, the president and CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship and a key figure in the orbit of incoming President Donald Trump.
The social media company is also adding auto tycoon John Elkann and tech investor Charlie Songhurst, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post late Monday.
Shares in some notable Chinese companies fell after the U.S. Defense Department added dozens of them to a list of companies it says have ties to China’s military. The announcement caused some of the companies to protest and say they will seek to have the decision reversed.
Added to the list were gaming and technology company Tencent, artificial intelligence firm SenseTime and the world’s biggest battery maker CATL. Tencent’s Hong Kong-traded shares fell 7.3% on Tuesday while CATL shares dropped almost 3%.
In Europe at midday, France's CAC 40 climbed 0.8%, Germany's DAX rose 0.4% and Britain's FTSE 100 lost 0.2%.
In Asia, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped nearly 2.0% to finish at 40,083.30. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.3% to 8,285.10. South Korea's Kospi added 0.1% to 2,492.10.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slid 1.2% to 19,447.58 as shares in technology and games company Tencent plunged 7.3% after it was hit by U.S. sanctions.
The Shanghai Composite edged 0.7% higher to 3,229.64.
Investors are also watching for possible policy changes under incoming President Donald Trump, whose term is beginning soon, said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.
"The convergence of these financial indicators points to a heightened alert among traders, who carefully calibrate their strategies for potential shifts in policy and economic directives that the new administration may bring," he said.
Nvidia and other AI stocks have kept climbing recently, despite concern that their stock prices have already shot too high, too fast.
The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will close their stock and options markets on Thursday in observance of a National Day of Mourning for former President Jimmy Carter.
But in a potentially market-moving event later in the week, the Federal Reserve will release minutes from its last policy meeting, where it cut its main interest rate for a third straight time.
The monthly jobs report, along with an update on how U.S. consumers are feeling, are set for Friday. So far, the economy has remained remarkably resilient. The Fed began cutting interest rates in September after inflation pulled nearly all the way down to its 2% target.
Getting the last percentage point of improvement from inflation may prove more difficult. Worries are also rising that tariffs and other policies coming from President-elect Donald Trump could push inflation higher.
Delta Air Lines and Walgreens Boots Alliance report their latest financial results on Friday.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude gained 46 cents to $74.02 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 63 cents to $76.93 a barrel.
The U.S. dollar rose to 157.73 Japanese yen from 157.65 yen. The euro was largely unchanged at $1.0390.
Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York's Financial District Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Stock price board is seen after a ceremony marking the start of this year's trading Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York's Financial District Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader works near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
