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Assessing Mike Evans' Potential Fit on the 49ers

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated Feb 27, 2026 9:00 AM ET

The San Francisco 49ers would like to add a wide receiver this offseason, especially if they end up losing Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk. One name who is going to sound like a great fit is Mike Evans.

Will the San Francisco 49ers pursue Mike Evans in free agency?

Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report attempted to tie one player for every team, finding a perfect free agent fit. For the 49ers, he saw Mike Evans as their best fit.

Evans can be the red-zone monster the Niners need while Kittle is recovering. His size and strength on the outside make him a good run blocker to move around the formation as well. Evans' consistency is his calling card and that's what the Niners need right now.Alex Ballentine

There are a lot of reasons this makes sense. San Francisco is starving for postseason success, and that has to be one of the key drivers for Evans, who has been known for stepping up in the big games. San Francisco seems to have no problem getting there, but they have not been able to get over the top in the big moments, and Evans would significantly change that.

On the other hand, some of the reasons he fits are that he is getting older, and he is coming off of an injury-riddled season. Spotrac has Evans projected to sign a two-year deal, worth $26M, amounting to $13M per year. The price is right, but just like Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Trent Williams, it is going to leave the team with a big hole at a key position in two seasons. Perhaps if all of them get that one Super Bowl, it will be worth a down year or two.

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The bigger issue is the injury status. Evans had been an iron man until the past two seasons. He played in 14 games in 2024, and needed a last game forced target to get over 1,000 yards and keep his streak alive.

In 2025, he played in just 8 games and had just 368 yards. It was by far his worst season from a health and production standpoint. Some of this comes down to the offensive environment, but Evans is going to be 33 years old now, and betting on these players as much as the 49ers do is why they end up with so many injuries by the end of the season.

Kittle will already miss time to start the year, Williams has been missing a game or two every year in recent seasons, and now they are projected to add someone who has been banged up in the past two years.

It is hard to bet against proven success, but the 49ers have to start getting younger at some point. Do they sign Mike Evans, or take a shot at more unknown?

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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