The rumor mill is churning after the NFL Combine. We’re under a week away from finding out who the San Francisco 49ers covet in free agency. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Niners are a potential landing spot for free agent wide receiver Mike Evans, who has “a real chance he will take his talents elsewhere,” according to Jones:
It is still early, but Houston and Kansas City don’t seem to be in on Evans, according to sources. If Evans does not return to Tampa Bay, keep an eye on the Bills, Chargers, 49ers, Commanders, and Giants. His price is going to be difficult to gauge, though. He will be 33 this season, coming off an injured year, and there aren’t many comparisons to him out there. Evans may aim for something close to $25 million per year in what would amount to a two-year deal, but sources believe he will get something closer to $20 million per year.
A week ago, we asked if Evans’ injury history should scare the Niners away. You could put together an incentive-laden deal where the guarantees amount to roughly $20 million per season, but only if Evans is on the field.
Evans is no spring chicken. He was drafted in 2014. He’ll be coming off a season where he only played eight games and had a catch percentage of 48.4 percent. In fairness, some of that was due to lackluster quarterback play. Before this season, Evans’ catchable targets number never dipped below 75 percent. It was 66.7 percent in 2025.
Evans doesn’t fall in the bucket of a YAC receiver. Most of his damage comes down the field on vertical routes. So he’d be a different wideout for Brock Purdy in that sense. The skill set and production, when healthy, would fit any team. The question for the 49ers is whether they want a 33-year-old with hamstring injuries leading the charge of their receiver room?
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