From Tampa Bay to the City by the Bay.
On Monday, it was reported that Texas A&M Hall of Fame wide receiver and six-time Pro Bowler Mike Evans has inked a free agency deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
Adam Schefter of ESPN was first to report the news.
Schefter is reporting that Evans’ deal with the Niners is for three years.
Evans, 32, spent the first 12 years of his professional career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, helping the franchise win its second Super Bowl championship in 2020. In Super Bowl LV, the Aggie had one catch for 31 yards on one target as the Bucs defeated Kansas City 31-9 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Already an all-time great, Evans owns an NFL record for most 1,000-yard receiving seasons to begin a career with 11. That same streak ties Jerry Rice for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons by a receiver in NFL history.
That streak ended in 2025 when a serious hamstring injury limited Evans to just eight games. Last fall, he caught 30 passes for 368 yards and three scores.
Perhaps more impressive is that Evans’ success came with Josh McCown, Mike Glennon, Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback prior to the arrival of Tom Brady and then Baker Mayfield. Rice had the luxury of catching passes from Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco.
Ironically, Evans will now play for Rice’s former team.
In 176 career games, the A&M product has reeled in 866 receptions for 13,052 yards and 108 touchdowns as he seems destined for Canton.
Perhaps his best seasons came in 2018, when he had a career-best 1,524 yards, and 2023, when he tied Tyreek Hill for most receiving touchdowns with 13.
His path to the Professional Football Hall of Fame will now see him team up with Brock Purdy, who is expected to return from injury, in San Francisco as the 49ers look to improve on 2025’s 12-5 record.
In two seasons in Aggieland, the Galveston native caught 151 passes for 2,499 yards and 17 touchdowns as he and Johnny Manziel formed one of the greatest quarterback-receiver connections in school history. As a redshirt sophomore in 2013, Evans earned first-team All-SEC acclaim in addition to being a Consensus All-American.
Evans was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.
