Brandon Aiyuk is set to leave San Francisco. On Monday, it was reported that the 49ers are set to acquire Mike Evans, who left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a 12-year stint. As per reports, Kyle Shanahan and co have offered a three-year contract to the star wide receiver.
However, Evans' signing means that the Niners are prepared to replace Aiyuk, who has been involved in some controversy. San Francisco needed a proven receiver. Aiyuk was placed on the reserve/left squad list last season after he stopped showing up to rehabilitate a knee injury that had sidelined him since October 2024. Aiyuk had signed a four-year, $120 million extension before the 2024 season but the $27 million that was guaranteed for the 2026 season had been voided.
In Deceber last year, Aiyuk posted a video fo himself driving at over 100 MPH on a road near Levi's Stadium, where the speed limit is 40 MPH.
Tampa's note for Mike Evans
"Saying goodbye to a legend such as Mike Evans is never easy, but today we are filled with appreciation and gratitude for all that he did during his extraordinary 12-year career as a Buccaneer," said the Glazer family, owners of the team, in a statement. "Our goal was always to ensure that Mike would play his entire career as a Buccaneer, but as we got further in the process it became clear he was looking for a new challenge."
The Buccaneers and Evans' agent, Deryk Gilmore, cited the 32-year-old's desire for a "new challenge" as the main motivating factor in the move, which cannot become official until Wednesday, the first day of the 2026 league year.
"The Buccaneers made it clear they would have loved for Mike to finish his career in Tampa and potentially become just the fourth player in franchise history to spend his entire career as a Buccaneer and ultimately walk into Canton representing the organization," Gilmore said in a statement to ESPN.
Brock Purdy's big sacrifice?
With Evans moving to San Francisco, Purdy faces an an unusual dilemma. Both he and the star WR have worn the same jersey number, No. 13, throughout their careers.
Purdy currently wears the number in San Francisco, choosing it because of his and his father’s admiration for Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino. Evans, meanwhile, has also worn No 13 for his entire professional career and even sported the number during his college days at Texas A&M.
With both players attached to the same number, one of them will likely need to make a change. While it’s possible Purdy could offer the number to Evans as a gesture of respect for the accomplished wide receiver, that scenario appears unlikely given Purdy’s personal connection to it.
Evans may instead decide to select a new number for the first time in his football career. One simple solution could be dropping a digit and switching to either No 1 or No 3.
Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall currently wears No 1, meaning Evans would have to negotiate with him if he hoped to claim that jersey. Meanwhile, No 3 could potentially be available after running back Brian Robinson Jr, who wore the number last season, entered free agency.
Yash Nitish Bajaj
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More
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