TAMPA BAY, Fla. – The connection between Tom Brady and Mike Evans was easy to see in every game during their three years together in Tampa, but what Evans didn’t expect was the bond they would develop off the field.

“It’s crazy that we had the relationship we had,” the five-time Pro Bowl receiver told FOX Sports after practice on Wednesday. “We were a lot closer than I expected. He still keeps in touch even though he’s one of the biggest stars in the world. He’s just a down-to-earth guy. Just seeing who he is outside of football. I got to know his family and his know children.”

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Brady retired after the 2022 season and Sunday marks his return to Tampa. As FOX Sports’ lead NFL analyst, he will join Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi to call the Bucs’ home game against the Eagles.

Bucs fans will undoubtedly be happy to see Brady back, and he will be happy to see his old teammates, especially his former WR1. When Brady named his three Week 1 stars and included Tampa quarterback Baker Mayfield, he referred to Evans as “my boy” in the announcement.

Brady took a leap of faith when he left the Patriots in 2020 after 20 years and six Super Bowl championships, but his second chapter started perfectly, with the Bucs beating the Chiefs to win Super Bowl LV on their home field.

Tampa Bay would win two more division titles in 2021 and 2022, with Brady leading a reset of the franchise’s identity. Before his arrival, the Bucs had missed the playoffs 12 years in a row, but now they are on a streak of four straight postseason appearances, matching a franchise record.

“I didn’t know him when he was in New England, and he was out here minding his business, but you saw a lighter side to him,” Evans said. “I fought with him and hung out with him outside. He’s just a great guy and he loves his family.”

Evans, 31, is in his 11th NFL season, and although he and Brady only played together for three years, no other quarterback has thrown him more touchdown passes — 32 of his 96. Despite Brady playing in New England for so long, Evans stands in fifth place. in all-time Brady touchdowns, behind Rob Gronkowski, Randy Moss, Julian Edelman and Wes Welker.

When the Bucs needed a win late in Brady’s final season to reach the NFC South, he and Evans teamed up for one of their best games. In a win over Carolina in Week 17, Evans had 10 catches, 207 yards and three touchdowns.

“Mike played great, like he always does,” Brady said that day. “I love playing with him. He’s a great player.”

Tom Brady and Mike Evans scored 32 touchdowns in their three seasons together in Tampa, and their bond extended beyond the field. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Evans said he remembers how well Brady found ways to connect with younger teammates, and the two quickly built a friendship. NFL rosters can turn over quickly, but there are still 24 players on the Bucs’ current 53-man roster who played with Brady in Tampa.

Which Brady touchdown is Evans’ favorite? You might think this is the first score in the 2020 NFC Championship Game in Green Bay, or one of the many acrobatic full-extension catches that Evans is famous for, but his favorite is actually one of the easiest he caught.

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It’s not their first together — that came in their first game, a road loss to the Saints — but this was in their first home game together, against Carolina on September 20, 2020. In the first quarter, with 4:38 left at the Panthers’ 23, Evans dropped a stop-start move on Carolina corner Donte Jackson and brady is fake. Evans raced down the left sideline and turned only a split second before the pass hit him in the stomach.

“I didn’t expect the placement of the ball, but it was so good I had to catch it,” Evans said. “Receivers love those easy things. Donte Jackson covered it great, but (Brady) threw it right to my stomach and I caught it. It just showed his greatness. Even when you were covered, he threw it to you.”

Greg Auman is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. Previously, he spent ten years treating the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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