When did Mike Evans know he was leaving Buccaneers for 49ers?

One of the more noteworthy events of the opening few weeks of the new NFL year involved wide receiver Mike Evans leaving a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that had been his only football home since the 2014 NFL Draft to sign a three-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.

When Evans knew he was making that move and why he was doing so sparked numerous conversations among Buccaneers fans and on Tampa sports-talk programs over the past few weeks. While speaking about his recent retirement during an appearance on CBS Sports HQ, longtime Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David was asked if he was surprised by Evans' free agency decision. 

Did Mike Evans leaving Buccaneers surprise Lavonte David?

"It did. It did," David responded. "But me and Mike have a personal relationship, so I knew it was coming already. He kind of told me already..."

Retired running back and current NFL analyst LeSean McCoy previously hinted that Evans admitted before the free-agency negotiation window opened that there was "a great possibility" he would be leaving the Buccaneers to join the 49ers. While it's hardly stunning that Evans may have known that information following the scouting combine, such a revelation suggests that somebody within the Niners may have violated rules related to tampering with a pending free agent. 

Does Lavonte David know why Mike Evans left Buccaneers?

Some Buccaneers fans and reporters thought Evans took shots at his former employer and at Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield while discussing why he chose to sign with the 49ers. Fair or not, the perception exists that Evans believed the Buccaneers' window to win a Super Bowl with him on their roster had closed. 

As for David, he and Evans were teammates each season from 2014 through this past January. 

"He didn’t tell me exactly why he was leaving — but me knowing Mike, I feel like he’s a competitor and I think it was just time for a change of scenery for him," David added about Evans' decision. "Just because, you know, he just wanted a different challenge." 

Whatever happened behind the scenes, it seems that Evans' departure will remain one of the main Buccaneers-related storylines of this spring.