Mike Evans on Tom Brady return: I thought he was playing around
When Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady announced his retirement, it shocked the sports world. Evan more shocking was his decision to come out of retirement less than two months after the decision with hopes of further cementing his legacy.
In a recent interview, wide receiver Mike Evans revealed whether he got any heads up on Tom Brady’s return from a brief retirement. While they answer was yes, the message did not come through as clear as it could have.
“He texted me and he sent me an article where his ball sold for over 500 grand, the last touchdown that I threw in the stands against the Rams,” Evans said, via Ari Alexander of KPRC in Houston. “He’s like, ‘That’s a lot of tuition money.’ I just laughed, and then I said, ‘To my defense I didn’t know that you were going to retire.’ He sent back a laughing emoji, saying, ‘There’s more touchdowns in our future.’ So I’m just thinking he’s trolling me. I don’t know what he’s talking about. So a few hours later, it’s announced that he’s coming back, and I was happy.
“I didn’t think he was really coming back. I thought he was just playing around.”
The connection between Tom Brady and Mike Evans has been a productive one with 31 total touchdowns already in the books over two seasons. In that time, the duo has hooked up on 144 receptions for 2,041 yards in the regular season and 28 receptions for 440 yards in the postseason.
Perhaps another year on the field together will give Evans the opportunity to throw more meaningful memorabilia into the stands.
Rob Gronkowski jokes about Tom Brady
Rob Gronkowski announced his second retirement from the NFL in the same offseason Tom Brady retired and un-retired within 40 days. That led to a predictable — but still hilarious — joke on Twitter shortly after the announcement.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweeted a “retirement scoreboard” with Gronkowski now leading Brady 2-1. Gronkowski retweeted it and made the joke many NFL fans were probably thinking.
“Be careful, Tom doesn’t like to lose,” Gronkowsi said, along with a crying laughing emoji.
Gronkowski and Brady were teammates for 11 years, first with the New England Patriots and then with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, Brady will get ready for another season without “Gronk,” who initially retired after the 2018 season but rejoined Brady in Tampa.