How Jameis Winston Started the Mike Evans-Marshon Lattimore Feud

Some extracurricular activities can be expected whenever Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans and New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore are on the field together.

And that's putting it lightly.

The long-running feud between the two Pro Bowlers has resulted in three physical altercations and multiple suspensions, as well as both players being ejected the last time they played each other. And this all started with a finger poke from former Bucs QB and current Saints backup Jameis Winston.

The Buccaneers travel to New Orleans in Week 4 for their first of two matchups with the Saints this season. And the Evans-Lattimore rivalry could heat up again on Sunday. Before the next run-in between these NFC South rivals, here's a recap of the beef history between Evans and Lattimore, plus a look at who usually comes out on top on the field.

Evans vs. Lattimore Feud Started in 2017

The first on-field scuffle between Evans and Lattimore came in their first-ever meeting. And Winston is the one who started it all.

Winston, then with the Bucs but now with the Saints, shoved his finger into Lattimore's helmet during a meeting between the teams on November 5, 2017. Lattimore, a rookie at the time, retaliated by turning around and shoving Winston. Then Evans chimed in. The 6-foot-5, 231-pound receiver ran in and trucked Lattimore to the ground. Evans was called for unnecessary roughness for that incident and later called his actions "childish."

Having, in the years since, played on both sides of this rivalry, Winston is sorry to have sparked the Evans-Lattimore feud.

"They're the best at their craft, right?" Winston said of both players last season, via ESPN. "It's been that way for the past five years and that's on the page for everyone to see. Do I think it's personal? Yeah. I think it's personal... I hate that I interfered with initiating the rivalry when I was with Tampa. I apologize to Marshon every single day. No, for real. But at the end of the day Marshon is my teammate, and I love Mike. So that's between them."

Tempers flared again in 2020. After Bucs running play, Lattimore shoved Evans in the back. Evans shoved back, knocking Lattimore's helmet off in the process. The two players had to be restrained by their teammates, though a major confrontation was avoided.

The same can't be said for last season's meeting.

Lattimore got in former Bucs QB Tom Brady's face as he walked off the field during the first meeting of both teams last season. Evans took exception and crashed into Lattimore, sending him to the ground. A brawl between both teams ensued. Both Evans and Lattimore were ejected, and Evans would later be suspended one game for his involvement.

Brady later said on his "Let's Go" podcast that Evans' punishment was "ridiculous."

"In the end, emotions are a part of sports," Brady said. "Sometimes they boil over and they obviously did yesterday. And it's an unfortunate circumstance. I don't think it deserved any type of suspension. I think that's ridiculous. You know, hopefully we can move past it, get to a better place. You know in the end, I appreciate Mike having my back. I know he'll learn from it."

After last season's shoving match, Bucs All-Pro offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs recalled advice former backup QB Ryan Griffin once gave him: "Go get Mike" if a fight breaks out. If Wirfs can accomplish that on Sunday, he may save Evans—and Lattimore—a bit of money. Between the 2017 and 2022 incidents, Evans has been suspended twice—one game in each instance—and fined $102,810, according to Spotrac. Lattimore has been fined a total of $23,867 for his part in those same altercations.

Evans-Lattimore Stat History

An abdomen injury kept Lattimore out of the second Saints-Bucs game of last season. New Orleans should be thankful to have him back this time around to guard a red-hot Evans.

The 10th-year pro surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first nine seasons in the NFL and is well on his way to doing so again. Evans has 297 yards and three touchdowns through three weeks this season. The four-time Pro Bowler is one of two receivers to score each week this season and accounts for nearly 47 percent of the Bucs' entire passing game.

But Lattimore, a four-time Pro Bowler and former Defensive Rookie of the Year, is used to locking Evans up. According to ESPN, Lattimore has the second-lowest completion percentage allowed (48 percent) as the nearest defender against Evans since 2017, among players with at least 10 targets.

Evans has averaged just under three receptions for 48 yards a game against the Saints since they drafted Lattimore in 2017. ESPN's Mike Clay provided a game-by-game breakdown of their matchup, including how often Lattimore shadows Evans.

Bucs coach Todd Bowles said this week that he hopes Evans and Lattimore can keep things civil in the latest installment of their rivalry.

"You've got two great players, and they want to compete," Bowles said. "Both want to win. As long as they play within the whistle, that's fine. We don't want to hurt our team. I'm sure they don't want to hurt their team, so it'll be a competitive ball game just keeping them between the whistles."

The Bucs and Saints play at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in New Orleans. The game will air on FOX.