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Mike Evans is making a strong impression on his new 49ers teammates, while his former quarterback is missing him nearly 3,000 miles away.
49ers players have said Evans, who signed a three-year, $42.4 million contract with San Francisco in free agency, has been one of the more notable standouts at OTAs, and his former quarterback Baker Mayfield said on Friday he was disappointed to see Evans leave.
“Every single day that I see Mike, I go, ‘wow Mike Evans is here,'” 49ers tight end George Kittle told reporters on Wednesday. “I think I’m annoying it at this point, but still I pinch myself every day.”
According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, Evans, 32, has already found an early connection with quarterback Brock Purdy, as the duo came away with “three to five” touchdowns in a red-zone period earlier this week.
Barrows reported that during the team’s 7-on-7 drills on Thursday, Purdy went to Evans on a 10-yard out route near the sideline, then the two connected on a deep ball down the sideline against 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
“This is like the first legit veteran wide receiver I’ve had on my roster since Emmanuel Sanders in 2019, in my opinion,” Kittle said. “Nothing against the other veteran wide receivers I’ve had, he’s a Hall of Famer, who’s a first team All-Pro, Pro Bowl guy. He’s an incredible wide receiver.”
The 6-foot-5, 231-pound Evans has been one of the most dominant red-zone receivers in the NFL in his 12-year career.
He has six seasons where he has finished with 12 or more touchdowns, and recently joined Jerry Rice in 2024 as the second player in NFL history to have 11 consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.
Evans is ranked 21st in all-time receiving yards with 13,052, but should find himself in the top 10 within the next two years as Reggie Wayne ranks 10th overall with 14,345.
Rice holds the all-time receiving record at 22,895, and given Evans’ age, it seems unlikely he will be able to take it.
Two years ago, Evans passed Tim Brown and Steve Largent for all-time touchdowns receiving when he caught his 101st career touchdown against the Carolina Panthers.
“You don’t find too many players that while they’re still playing, you can confidently say they’re gonna be a Hall of Fame player,” 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams said on Wednesday. “… It means a lot. What he’s done over the years, it’s hard for a lot of kids, young guys, not to fan girl over a guy like that.”
The decision to leave the Buccaneers shocked the NFL, as Evans has won a Super Bowl with the Bucs and is Tampa Bay’s all-time leading receiver.
On Friday, Mayfield revealed he was shocked when he found out Evans signed with the 49ers.
“There’s no way to sugarcoat it, it’s disappointing to not have him back,” Mayfield told reporters. “Just the caliber player he is, he’s a Hall of Famer, I thought he deserved to be a Buc for life. Things happen but luckily him and I have a great relationship.”
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