Well, to be both a Bucs fan and somebody who thinks it’s going to be hard for Evans to get into the HOF, it’s based on the idea that 1,000 yards is a symbolic number that makes a nice narrative, but Evans has a season of 1,001 yards and another of 1,006, and those few extra yards to hit 1k don’t mean that much. Sure, the consecutive 1k streak is great, but last year Evans was 13th in receiving yards, and 22 people broke 1k. He was 23rd out of 26 in 2021, and the 18th of 18 to hit 1k in 2020 (his 1,006 year).
I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say you get into the HOF by being notably better than your peers at the time, and Evans has this weird thing where he is consistently really, really good and delivers year after year, but he’s never far and above anyone doing it. One 2nd team All-Pro and a great fantasy guy, but he’s never been THE GUY in the league.
Torry Holt has been eligible for the HOF for going on ten years now and still isn’t it. Steve Smith, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne . . . there’s a hell of a backlog at WR, and, when it’s time for Evans to be considered, he’s going to not be compared against 1k seasons, he’s compared against Adams, Hopkins, Hill, and a bunch of other guys who are likely to have more All-Pros. I’m not saying Evans has no shot, but people really think it’s easy to get into the HOF, and it’s harder for WRs just because passing numbers have so far gone off the charts.
Peppers and Gates are easy ones, then there’s some backlog clearing. Those two, Holt, Wayne, and Jahri Evans. Evans was a monster for a stretch and there just aren’t enough interior linemen in the HOF.