The San Francisco 49ers added another veteran receiver in free agency by giving Mike Evans the second-largest contract of his 13-year career. The deal keeps Evans in the Bay Area and part of Kyle Shanahan's offense for the next three seasons.
After supposedly contemplating retirement early in the 2026 offseason, Evans now leaves Tampa Bay for the first time in his career. The 32-year-old leaves the Buccaneers as the franchise's all-time leading receiver with 13,052 receiving yards, having surpassed 1,000 yards in each of his first 11 years in the league.
However, despite his career-long dominance, Evans is coming off a regressive eight-game season in 2025. Evans' injury-riddled campaign included a hamstring injury that cost him three games early in the season before landing on IR after simultaneously breaking his collarbone and suffering a concussion on a hard fall in Week 7.
The injuries are part of what led Evans to briefly consider retiring before returning for his 13th season. Regardless, he is now the most intriguing component of one of the most explosive offenses in the league.
49ers sign another veteran receiver
The 49ers entered the 2025 season believing they had the best receiving corps in the league. Jauan Jennings was coming off a breakout campaign, Ricky Pearsall showed promise at the end of his rookie season, and the team expected 2023 All-Pro Brandon Aiyuk to return at some point during the year.
But in what seems like an annual storyline, injuries tore San Francisco apart. Various ailments limited Pearsall to nine games, while Aiyuk failed to return at all. At this point in the timeline, it does not appear that anybody is confident in what the 49ers will do with their troubled star.
By the end of another rocky season, the 49ers suddenly found themselves in desperate need of receiver help. Their $60.4 million signing of Evans signaled that the team had predetermined that he was its best available option, and that the front office is seemingly done with the Aiyuk experience.
Evans comes with some obvious injury risk, having missed 12 games in the last two seasons. But all San Francisco needs from him is to be a sure-handed high-level safety blanket for Brock Purdy, not the explosive downfield threat Tampa Bay still expected him to be. Another 1,000-yard season would be enormous, but the 49ers just need 800 yards and a few touchdowns from Evans while it hopes for another step forward from Pearsall.
The pricetag might be a bit high for Evans at this point in his career, but the 49ers needed to sweeten the pot to drag him away from the Buccaneers. Kyle Shanahan seems sure that Evans is the guy he wants, and at this point, there is no reason to doubt him.
49ers grade: B-
Mike Evans signs second-biggest contract of his career
If injuries continue to hamper Evans in 2026, his contract could end up being a big miss for the 49ers in free agency. It would not change the fact that the deal is still a massive win for Evans, who could not have expected this much money coming his way ahead of year 13.
Evans was one of the biggest names in the receiver market, but there is no arguing that he is on the downslide. His numbers have dropped across the board in the last two years, including his reception count, receiving yard total, yards per catch and touchdown numbers.
Evans last signed a two-year, $41 million extension in 2024, and he was likely headed for a substantial pay decrease in 2026. The Buccaneers were evidently right to be cautious with giving him a long-term deal and could have been inclined to take a year-by-year approach with their longtime star, considering his contemplation of retirement.
Instead, Evans could rake in as much as $60 million over the next three seasons. The money is not fully guaranteed to give the 49ers some injury insurance, and Evans is still free to retire at any time. Leaving his longtime home had to hurt, but this was a deal Evans could not afford to turn down, given his current situation.
Mike Evans grade: A+
