The San Francisco 49ers made a big move this NFL offseason by bringing in none other than Mike Evans to boost their wide receivers room. Being a Super Bowl champion himself, the wideout is already sending a big warning to the rest of the league. Evans met the media for the first time since the signing. He said he thinks the 49ers “were one piece away” from winning it all. Then comes the warning, “I am that piece,” Evans said.
It’s hard to argue with him. Evans is by far and away the best receiver the 49ers will have in quite some time. Evans also explained his decision to leave Tampa Bay a few days ago.
Evans is also a massive red zone threat, as he is just taller, stronger, and skillful than any other wideout on the roster. In fact, even at his age (he will enter the 2026 season with 33), he has showed no signs of slowing down. He only had 368 yards last year, but played less than half a season due to a broken clavicle. This was the first time in his 12-year-career that he didn’t reach 1,000 receiving yards.
Brock Purdy will cherish throwing the ball to Evans
Brock Purdy has had quite the story. He was Mr. Irrelevant in 2022, ended up earning the starting spot on the 49ers, being a Pro Bowler and fourth in the MVP voting in 2023. He has guided the 49ers to the Super Bowl and now, despite only playing nine games in 2025, he had a 7-2 record.
Purdy has never had a WR as accomplished as Evans. As of now, Brandon Aiyuk is the receiver that has the most yards with Brock Purdy. He has 2,214 yards, but Aiyuk and the 49ers relationship is broke and he is likely to get released. Deebo Samuel had 1,760 but he left the team, and Jauan Jennings has 1,723 yards caught from Purdy’s passes, however he is a free agent. Hence, Evans is entering a WR room desperate for production.
The 49ers have three elite veterans in the skill positions
Christian McCaffrey is a veteran, but he is still one of the best running backs in the NFL. The same applies for George Kittle, who is still a top-tier tight end in the league. Now, Evans joins the club of ‘old-but-gold‘ players on the Niners. Also on that club, but not in a skill position, left tackle Trent Williams is still a force to be reckoned with as he is one of the best linemen of all time.
Having said that, George Kittle is still recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered back in January. It remains to be seen if he will be able to recover before the season starts or not. Still, the 49ers have a good contingency plan in Jake Tonges, just in case Kittle takes more time to recover.