Mike Evans Signs 49ers Contract, Explains Leaving Bucs After 12 Years in NFL Free Agency

Veteran wide receiver Mike Evans’ NFL career will continue for at least three more years, but it won’t be with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Evans agreed to a deal with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported it’s a three-year, $60.4 million deal.

In a statement to Schefter, his agent said the wideout “felt a desire to challenge himself with a new chapter in the final stage of his career.”

“Mike has tremendous love and respect for the Buccaneers organization, the Glazer family, the coaches, his teammates, and especially the fans in Tampa Bay who have supported him since the day he was drafted,” Deryk Gilmore said. “Tampa will always be home to him, and he is deeply proud of everything they accomplished together.”

The Glazer family also put out a statement after the decision, noting the team plans on celebrating Evans’ career at some point in the future:

Fox Sports’ Greg Auman reported Evans was fielding offers worth $27 million-plus annually.

The 49ers entered the negotiating period with $22.6 million in salary cap space.

Pending further deals, here’s how they look at the skill positions when accounting for Evans:

49ers Offense Depth Chart—Skill Positions

The 2025 season was the last year on Evans’ previous deal with the Bucs, and he counted for a $25.4 million cap hit in his 12th season with the franchise.

Evans produced 14 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown in four games in 2025 before being placed on injured reserve after suffering a broken collarbone that required surgery. He returned for the final four games of the year and produced a total of 30 catches for 368 yards and three touchdowns in his eight appearances.

Before Monday’s deal with the 49ers, Evans had spent his entire career in Tampa Bay, and he established himself as one of the greatest receivers of all time. His 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his career are an NFL record and tied Jerry Rice for the longest streak in league history.

In 2024, Evans appeared in 14 games and recorded 74 catches for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns. He caught a nine-yard pass on Tampa Bay’s final offensive play of the regular season to extend his 1,000-yard streak.

Since being selected by the Bucs with the No. 7 pick in the 2014 draft, Evans has been selected to six Pro Bowls. He also earned second-team All-Pro honors twice, and he tied for the league lead with 13 receiving touchdowns in 2023. He helped lead Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl title in 2020, its second championship in franchise history.

Tampa Bay added some youth to its receiver room by selecting Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka with the No. 19 pick in the 2025 NFL draft and using a seventh-round pick to add Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson. Egbuka led the team with 63 catches, 938 yards and six touchdowns in his first year, and he will be the heir apparent to the mantle left by Evans.

San Francisco is hoping that Evans still has a lot left in the tank, and he will try to lead the team to title contention before he hangs up his cleats.