Published Jun. 5, 2026at10:30am
George Kittle, one of the 49ers’ most successful players and a rare athlete whose popularity transcends their sport, isn’t star-struck often.
Then Mike Evans showed up in Santa Clara.
“Every single day I see Mike, I just go, ‘Wow, Mike Evans is here.’ I think I’m annoying him at this point,” Kittle said.
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Even in a locker room where nearly every position group features a Pro Bowl-caliber player, Evans stands out. Especially to the longest-tenured 49ers who keep a close watch on the wide receiver unit.
“This is like the first legit veteran wide receiver I’ve had on my roster since Emmanuel Sanders in 2019,” Kittle said. “Nothing against all the other veteran receivers I’ve had, but he’s a Hall of Famer who’s a first-team All-Pro, Pro Bowl guy.”
Sanders changed the 49ers’ offensive outlook when he arrived ahead of the 2019 trade deadline in a run-up to the Super Bowl. The two-time Pro Bowler had three 1,000-yard seasons and racked up more than 500 yards in nine games for San Francisco, but his résumé doesn’t belong in the same stack as Evans’.
Evans, the first receiver with 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since 49ers legend Jerry Rice, is the franchise’s first wideout with more than four Pro Bowl nods since Randy Moss came out of retirement and caught 28 passes in 2012.
“It’s just crazy that we’re on the same team,” backup quarterback Mac Jones said. “I used to play with him in Madden.”
The last time Kyle Shanahan coached a Hall of Fame-caliber wide receiver, Julio Jones earned back-to-back All-Pro honors and led the NFL in receiving yards per game with the Atlanta Falcons.
Evans, 32, isn’t in his prime anymore, but unlike many 49ers veterans, he was an active participant in organized team activities this spring because he’s eager to develop a rapport with Brock Purdy.
Evans may not match Julio Jones’ production, but he could join Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk as the only 49ers to cross the 1,000-yard threshold under Shanahan in San Francisco.
Nothing the former Buccaneer receiver accomplishes would surprise his 49ers teammates. After a stint in Santa Clara, they expect his next stop to be Canton, Ohio.
“Mike Evans is a Hall of Fame player,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “You don’t find too many players while they’re still playing, you can pop in and say they’re going to be a Hall of Fame player.”