The San Francisco 49ers' marquee move of the offseason wasn't anything they did in the 2026 NFL Draft, rather, it was somehow convincing free-agent wide receiver Mike Evans to switch coasts from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and head out to the Bay Area.
The future Hall of Famer, who'll turn 33 years old this August, had his first-ever season in which he failed to record 1,000 yards receiving, thanks largely to serious injuries that limited him to just eight games in 2025.
Knowing fully well how injuries were a factor a year ago, San Francisco is banking on Evans avoiding the injury pitfall in his first campaign with the 49ers.
But, even that context didn't stop the veteran receiver from landing on a notable list entering 2026, and that should serve as a boost for how the Niners feel about their offseason.
Mike Evans cracks FanSided's top-10 WRs list despite injury-plagued 2025 season
San Francisco hopefully found its WR1 of the future by drafting De'Zhaun Stribling with the 33rd overall pick last April.
But it might take a year or two before Stribling truly makes a serious impact, meaning Evans' presence is going to be valuable.
So, the fact he ranked No. 8 on FanSided's list of the 10 best wide receivers heading into 2026 says a lot, even though Evans' efforts to get there are solely with the Bucs.
That said, the injury concerns linger, especially with the 49ers:
Did Mike Evans have a good 2025? Absolutely not, and no one would argue that he did. Is Mike Evans still a top-10 receiver in the NFL? Absolutely, and no one would argue that he’s not. I’m not going to let one bad year, a year that was bad because of injuries, knock him out of the elite tier of receivers, and neither should you.Â
Now, the problem is that he’s a 49er now. If there’s a franchise that’s been defined by their recent history of debilitating injuries, it’s them.
Granted, at this stage of his career, if Evans thought injuries were going to derail the final years of his career, he certainly wouldn't have considered the Niners. Staying put in Tampa Bay would've been a better option from that vantage point.
From San Francisco's perspective, it has to feel a bit better knowing one of the league's 10 best receivers is on its roster and will make a massive impact right away.
Provided those aforementioned injury concerns don't get in the way, of course.
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