Ja’Marr Chase gives serious flowers to 49ers’ Mike Evans

Ja’Marr Chase has been arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL over the last few years. One of the most productive wide receivers today, the Cincinnati Bengals star has staked his claim among the league’s best. However, Chase still looks up to the old veterans who paved the way for him, such as San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans.

Chase was interviewed by Kay Adams recently, and the topic of Chase’s statistical achievements came up. When Adams asked about any landmarks that the Bengals star wants to hit, Chase mentioned the usual 1,000-yard milestone. The star wide receiver said that consistently hitting that 1,000-yard benchmark is the goal. He cited the 49ers’ newly acquired Evans as the prime example.

“I think a thousand matters,” Chase said. “It’s still something you want to consistently have each year because Mike Evans is the new inspiration for all the older and younger guys. He’s been at, what, 11 years straight with 1,000 yards? That’s the hardest thing to do is that consistency.”

Evans, along with 49ers legend Jerry Rice, holds the record for most consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneeers wide receiver had 11 consecutive years with a thousand receiving yards or more.  It’s a testament to Evans’ greatness that he was able to consistently churn out productivity, no matter who he was surrounded by. Wide receiver production is often thought to be extremely dependent on the player’s teammates, but Evans bucked all conventional wisdom by setting that record.

Chase’s got a good head start on achieving this landmark: he’s reached the 1,000-yard mark in each of his first five seasons in the league. However, coming even close to this record isn’t as easy as Evans makes it look. It takes a lot of things to go right: the 49ers wide receiver had a relatively clean bill of health before his streak was broken last year.

Evans now looks to come back to form on a completely different team. Now with the 49ers, Evans is expected to lead one of the most battered wide receiver groups in terms of injury. Can Evans be that consistent rock for a team that’s basically lived in uncertainty due to injuries?