George Kittle recruited Mike Evans to sign with the 49ers this offseason to help improve their offense, but it turns out it was also for selfish reasons.
The All-Pro tight end spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area and shared why Evans was a personal priority.
“You can’t just leave a corner 1-on-1 versus Mike Evans very often,” Kittle said. “So it’s just going to open up everything else for all of us, which I’m very excited about. The defense just has to add so much more to taking him away or trying to.
“Him being out there — I’m not going to get double teams as much this year. Hopefully, knock on wood, please don’t. Guys, you don’t need to cover me like that.”
During the 2025 NFL regular season, Kittle was on the field for 11 games, catching 57 of his 69 targets for 628 yards and seven touchdowns. With Evans sharing the field, the tight end believes there will be more opportunities for everyone on the offense, from himself to Christian McCaffrey to Evans as well.
Evans had more lucrative offers on the table, including returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Kittle’s influence helped tip the scales for the All-Pro receiver to make the journey to the West Coast after 12 seasons with the team that drafted him.
Kittle believes that the veteran wideout already has connected easily with quarterback Brock Purdy, which everyone on the offense will benefit from.
“[Evans] called me, and I sold him,” Kittle said with a smile. “I might have lied several times, but I sold him on it, and we got him here. Just seeing him out there, he’s so smooth. And because he’s so smooth, it looks like he’s doing everything at like 20 miles an hour and he’s not.
“But then at the end of the day, he can run 21, 22 miles an hour. His feel of the game, how he sees the coverages. [He] and Brock are already on the same page so easily because he’s just such a good player, and he makes everyone around him better.”
Kittle cited Evans’ ability to block as well as catching the football that make him a valuable addition to the team. Drawing defensive back coverage potentially will set both Kittle and McCaffrey up to face linebackers 1-on-1, which is a matchup the tight end relishes.
“Are you going to leave Christian 1-on-1 with a linebacker?” Kittle said. “Are you going to leave me 1-on-1 with the linebacker or safety? And so like, you’re going to get these guys who get all this 1-on-1 coverage. And then Brock is a fantastic enough quarterback to make all those throws.”
The season has yet to start, but George Kittle already is looking forward to how the addition of Evans will change things for the better.