“Can Now Move on From Aiyuk” – 49ers Signing Mike Evans from Bucs Triggers Mixed Reactions From Fans on Social Media

The 49ers agreed to a three year deal with Mike Evans.

“Can Now Move on From Aiyuk” – 49ers Signing Mike Evans from Bucs Triggers Mixed Reactions From Fans on Social Media

Brandon Aiyuk and Mike Evans (Image via Imago)

In Short
  • Mike Evans signed a three-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers after leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
  • The 49ers can now move on from Brandon Aiyuk, who has faced injury issues and missed training camp.
  • Evans is expected to be the primary target for quarterback Brock Purdy, enhancing the team's receiving options.

Mike Evans‘ time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended on Monday after the veteran wide receiver decided to sign with the San Francisco 49ers on a three-year deal. With Evans on board, the Niners can now move on from Brandon Aiyuk.

Aiyuk spent the 2025 season on injured reserve, leaving Jauan Jennings to step up as WR1, followed by Ricky Pearsall and Kendrick Bourne. Jennings caught 55 passes for 643 yards and scored 9 touchdowns, while Pearsall and Bourne combined for just over 1,000 yards but went the entire season without scoring a touchdown.

However, the Niners’ top receiver was their running back, Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey caught 102 passes for 924 yards and scored 7 touchdowns. Tight end George Kittle, who was limited to just 11 starts due to injuries, racked up more yards (62 receptions for 628 yards) than both Pearsall and Bourne and scored 7 TDs.

The 49ers needed a reliable target for quarterback Brock Purdy, and few options are better than Mike Evans. General manager John Lynch offered Evans’ representatives a three-year, $60.4 million contract, averaging $20.4 million per year, which they accepted.

Fans are buzzing about the possibility of the 49ers moving on from Brandon Aiyuk in favor of signing Mike Evans

Aiyuk announced himself as the Niners’ undisputed number one after racking up 1300+ yards in 2023. The Niners gave him a four-year, $120 million contract extension. Just five weeks into the new season, the Arizona State grad tore his ACL and MCL, cutting his year short.

"Can Now Move on From Aiyuk" - 49ers Signing Mike Evans from Bucs Triggers Mixed Reactions From Fans on Social Media
Brandon Aiyuk (Image via IMAGO)

He was expected to return during the 2025 season. However, when he did not show up to camp, the Niners decided to place him on the PUP list. In November, the Niners announced that they had voided Aiyuk’s $27 million guaranteed money as punishment for skipping the practices.

Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network noted that Lynch used that money in the Mike Evans deal. This puts a question mark on Aiyuk’s future in San Francisco. This gives the Niners the leverage to cut Aiyuk.

According to a report from Adam Schefter in February, Aiyuk will be released on the first day of the new NFL calendar.

We don’t know what he’s physically going to be like. His knee was shredded. I can’t say that (the Washington Commanders won’t go after him), because him and Jayden Daniels are close… I think that’s a possibility.

Schefter said (H/T: Niners Wire)

Teams such as Washington and New England could push to sign him. That said, he might need to go through a thorough physical evaluation to confirm his knee has fully healed.

Evans gave everything to the Buccaneers since day one. He racked up 1000 yards for 11 straight seasons before injuries limited him to just 368 yards in 2025. Garafolo revealed that the Super Bowl winner wanted to experience a new challenge and possibly add another ring to his collection.

Mike Evans wanted to go somewhere where he was going to be the number 1 target, the number 1 receiver and that’s certainly going to be the case with the 49ers…. He is going to be pretty much the opposite of Brandon Aiyuk. He is going to be there every single day, dedicated to his craft.

At 32, Evans is still far more professional than Aiyuk has been over the past two years. His presence will also help ease the pressure on McCaffrey.

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