Mike Evans is officially a member of the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners were able to pry him away from the Buccaneers, where he had spent his entire career up until now. And hopefully, they’ll reap the benefits of having a future Hall of Fame wide receiver on their roster in 2026.
What ultimately tipped the scale in the Niners’ favor for Evans? While he pointed to Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy playing a factor in him in signing with San Francisco, Evans also gave credit to star tight end George Kittle for why he’s now a Niner.
“George was the biggest salesman. George sold it big-time,” Evans said about the 49ers tight end.
It sure sounds like 49ers fans have George Kittle to thank for getting Mike Evans to San Francisco
It’d make sense that Kittle would want Evans to join him in San Francisco. Evans is confident that he’s the missing piece of the puzzle for the 49ers. Evans’ presence will also mean that teams won’t be able to double-team Kittle as often now since they’ll have to factor in Evans as well.
It’s exciting to have a weapon like Evans in Kyle Shanahan’s offense moving forward, especially knowing he’ll join Kittle when the tight end is healthy enough to return to action. Until Kittle can officially come back, however, Evans is just added insurance the 49ers didn’t have before.
For the first 11 years of his career, Evans had 1,000-yard receiving seasons each year. In fact, it took an injury that sidelined him for half of the 2025 season, to break that streak. So yeah, the Niners are getting an absolute baller for Purdy and Shanahan’s offense.
If Evans does end up continuing his career trajectory of 1,000-yard seasons (2025 was the first time he didn’t hit that feat), 49ers fans will have to send their thanks Kittle’s way for helping put this plan in action. Exciting times.