A week ago, we were told to watch out for Mike Evans to the San Francisco 49ers. That move is official, as national reporters confirmed that Evans signed a deal for three years to join the Niners after 12 seasons in Tampa Bay.
Mike Evans’ contract with the 49ers
The 49ers contract for Mike Evans is $60.4 million over three years. That makes Evans the 21st-highest paid wide receiver in total value. The $20.1 million makes Evans the 23rd highest-paid wideout on average. We are still awaiting the guarantees.
On Pac McAfee’s show, Adam Schefter said the deal isn’t actually three years and is “really a shorter term deal than that but going to be called a 3-year deal for cap purposes.” That sounds like the 49ers added ghost years to give Evans the guarantees to convince him to sign, while allowing the team to spread out the cap hits for the duration of the contract.
Mike Evans extensive injury history
The six-time Pro Bowler turns 33 in August. Evans was limited to eight games last season. According to Draft Sharks, which tracks the injury history of a player, Evans is given a 93 percent chance to miss at least two quarters in 2026. He missed five games after suffering a concussion and a broken collarbone on October 20. That was after missing three games in September with a hamstring injury.
Unfortunately, Evans is no stranger to hamstring injuries. He missed three games in 2024 due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain suffered in Week 6. He’s had a hamstring injury of some sort every year since 2019. It hasn’t always meant Evans would miss games, but a series here and there adds up. As he ages, one can’t help but wonder how that injury history would improve.
Mike Evans is a Jauan Jennings replacement
As Evans enters the final years of his career, the 49ers asked themselves whether Evans’ extensive injury history was worth being wrong about. New defensive coordinator Raheem Morris saw Evans healthy in person time and time again. It happened twice last year.
Evans had 188 receiving yards in two games against the Falcons. That was in Week 1 and Weeks 15, with 132 of those coming in Week 15. In the final three games of the season, as the Bucs were fighting for their playoff lives, Evans never eclipsed 35 receiving yards.
However, he left his fingerprints all over each game. In Week 16 against the Panthers, Evans caught a goal line fade for a touchdown and had a first down reception in the first quarter. Watching his targets and thinking how he’s used, Evans isn’t a Brandon Aiyuk replacement.
He’s a Jauan Jennings replacement. Instead of paying Jennings $20 million a year to be your WR2—something you can do while Ricky Pearsall is on a rookie contract—you give the same deal to a more established veteran who will be used in a lot of the same ways Jennings did. The contract suggests as much.
The 49ers are likely to part ways with Brandon Aiyuk, according to most reports. How they continue to address the position, whether a 1st-round receiver or a veteran, will let us know how they feel about the current state of the wide receiver room and who lands where in the pecking order.
