Mike Evans, San Francisco 49ers
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Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks on before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium on November 08, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers made a big splash early on in NFL free agency. After clearly having a need at wide receiver last season, they quickly made the move to sign longtime star Mike Evans to a three-year, $60.4 million contract.
Being able to lure Evans away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a major steal. Immediately after signing Evans, the 49ers’ Super Bowl chances took a big jump.
Outside of last season due to injury, Evans hasn’t had a year under 1,000 receiving yards since coming into the NFL. Many San Francisco fans are expecting that production to simply transfer over to the 49ers.
Whether or not he can make that happen remains to be seen. However, a new projection has been made for Evans in 2026 that San Francisco fans aren’t going to love.
Mike Evans Receives Projection That 49ers Fans Won’t Love
RotoWire has released their 2026 projections for Evans. While they aren’t bad numbers, they’re not the same level of production that he has put up for years.
In their projections, Evans would catch 66 passes for 900 yards and eight touchdowns.
Evans producing at that level would still help the 49ers’ offense. He just wouldn’t make quite as much of an impact as fans are expecting. Brock Purdy would still be in a much better position with Evans than he was last season with his supporting cast.
Of course, these are just projections. Evans can use them as motivation to prove the doubters wrong to begin his new chapter with San Francisco.
What Else Has San Francisco Done This Offseason?
Outside of the move to sign Evans, John Lynch and the front office have been aggressive.
One of the biggest sleeper moves of the entire offseason came when the 49ers reunited with linebacker Dre Greenlaw. After being released by the Denver Broncos, Greenlaw quickly worked out a one-year deal with San Francisco.
Along with those two moves, the 49ers have signed offensive tackle Vederian Lowe, cornerback Nate Hobbs, tight end Jake Tonges, linebacker Luke Gifford, wide receiver Christian Kirk, center Brett Toth, and also made a few other moves.
Currently, San Francisco does look the part of one of the top contenders in the NFC. Hopefully, Evans can surpass the projections set forth by RotoWire and become an even bigger piece of powering the 49ers back to the Super Bowl.