While this NFL free agency class wasn’t touted as the strongest heading into the offseason, dollars have still been flying around this offseason, and the San Francisco 49ers have gotten in on the action, most notably by signing wide receiver Mike Evans.
The 49ers were expected to be in on some of the free agent wide receivers with Jauan Jennings heading towards free agency, and they pounced on Evans on the first day of the legal tampering period, inking him on a three-year deal that essentially serves as a one-year contract with two team options.
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Evans filled a huge hole, adding a bona fide No. 1 receiver when healthy who has been one of the most productive wideouts in the NFL over the past decade. The fact that San Francisco was able to get him on a three-year, $42.4 million deal with just over $16 million guaranteed was one that the team had to take for a player of Evans’s caliber.
Overall, where does the Evans signing rank among all the signings we’ve seen so far in free agency?
ESPN’s Seth Walder graded his top 16 free agent signings so far, and Evans cracked the list at No. 8 with an A- grade.
“After seemingly being flush with wide receiver talent not too long ago, the 49ers entered this offseason needing a wideout. They got a good one,” Walder wrote.
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“Evans is finally leaving Tampa Bay, heading to San Francisco to join Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy. And while we’re still waiting on all the contract details, the $16.3 million guaranteed makes it seem like they got a good deal. We’ll work under the assumption that’s the one-year cost — which is what matters here.
“Evans, 32, is coming off an injury-shortened season that marked the first year he did not reach 1,000 receiving yards. He amassed 368 receiving yards in eight games. If he’s still the same player, he has the potential to be a No. 1 X receiver for Shanahan, adding another dimension to an offense with other veteran playmakers such as Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle. The move lets Ricky Pearsall be a complementary second wide receiver as he develops. Jauan Jennings is a free agent.”
While he does need to figure out the injury issues, I’m curious how Ricky Pearsall can develop with a veteran like Evans working beside him daily. But Kyle Shanahan badly needed that ‘X’ receiver with Brandon Aiyuk no longer in the fold
Evans came in behind several ‘A’ grade signings, with Walder having the following above San Francisco’s top signing:
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1) Kyler Murray to the Minnesota Vikings
2) Malik Willis to the Miami Dolphins
3) Riq Woolen to the Philadelphia Eagles
4) Rasheed Walker to the Carolina Panthers
5) Elgton Jenkins to the Cleveland Browns
6) Isaac Seumalo to the Arizona Cardinals
7) Braden Smith to the Houston Texans
Still, it’s been one of the best signings of free agency and comes with good flexibility in case Evans’s injury issues continue to linger in 2026. Brock Purdy has a new No. 1 target.
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