Mike Evans Pain Comes Before Bucs’ Opening Day
May 15th, 2026
No secret to NFL fans before yesterday’s schedule release was the teams that will open the season in Australia after the Seahawks host the Fighting Russinis in Seattle.
Those teams are the Rams and 49ers. They’ll clash on Thursday, Sept. 10, on Netflix, live from Melbourne, Australia, about 65 hours before Bucs opening day.
Starting at wide receiver for the 49ers, if he’s not nursing a hamstring injury, will be legendary receiver Mike Evans, the famous “Buc For Life.”
Ironically, Evans is not a fan of flying and he’s open about not being a fan of long flights. So Joe wonders what Evans will be thinking about on his 16-hour trek nonstop to Australia. He’ll probably still be convincing himself that Brock Purdy is a better quarterack than Baker Mayfield.
Evans launching his second NFL career in a high-profile game — with Bucs fans having little to do but watch him — makes for an interesting dynamic. The numbers of Tampa Bay eyeballs on that game will be tremendous.
Joe wonders whether the Bucs will have the stones to seize the day and capitalize on the big night for Evans.
Perhaps Team Glazer could have a giveaway event simultaneously, such as one that provides a handsome reward if you drive in and drop off your Evans game jersey from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. that night — all part of an old-school Buccaneers pep rally to take fans’ minds off the nightmare of watching Evans wearing a 49ers jersey.
Consider that the Bucs just spent a ton of manpower hours producing a goofy schedule-release video. Will they be willing to invest similar hours and effort into comforting the Bucs fans they hold so dearly?
🤮 https://t.co/8M8rRgH7hV
— JoeBucsFan (@JoeBucsFan) May 15, 2026