San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan looks on during the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium.
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
The San Francisco 49ers are still trying to get over that Super Bowl hump in this era of the franchise under Kyle Shanahan, and they made a big free agency swing this offseason to try to do so. Star wide receiver Mike Evans is now in the Bay Area after a long and storied career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Shanahan and company are hoping that he adds another element to this explosive offense.
Unfortunately, things aren't off to a great start with Evans and the 49ers. The veteran receiver picked up a minor quad injury during training camp and has been sidelined since.
Despite that, Shanahan still has big visions for what Evans can be in his offense. The play-calling wizard assured that the veteran wideout will have a huge role as an outside receiver this season, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“Yeah, it depends if he stays healthy,” Shanahan said of Evans. “Mike to me is always, if you’re a starting receiver, you’re out there a ton which everyone is. I forget what it was last year, maybe hamstring, where he missed time and when that happens you miss games.
“But Mike’s going to be a starting receiver here and we don’t like any of our guys to go every play. We want our guys going full speed and it’s hard to go full speed every play. So, we’re always going to spell guys. But hopefully, he’s got a little quad right now, which I know Mike probably believes he could be back right now. We’re being smart with him, but he’s going to be good to go.”
Evans has dealt with a number of injuries during his career. In 2025, it was a hamstring issue that cost him a large chunk of the season, so the 49ers will want to be careful with his soft tissue injuries as he ramps up for the season.
If the 49ers can get a healthy campaign out of Evans, he could take this offense from a very good one to one of the best in the NFL.