Six-time Pro Bowl WR Mike Evans, 49ers agree to three-year, $60.4M NFL contract
On "49ers Now," Carlos Ramírez, Matt Maiocco and Rod Brooks react to San Francisco and six-time Pro Bowl WR Mike Evans agreeing to a three-year deal.
Six-time Pro Bowl WR Mike Evans, 49ers agree to three-year, $60.4M NFL contract originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
We got breaking news, we got a bunch of stuff happening, we got so much things for you to break, and, Matt, let's begin with breaking news.
Mike Evans, Mike Evans, per Adam Schefter, has signed a three-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
What do you know, Matt?
Yeah, I mean, you know, he's 32 years old.
He had, 11 consecutive seasons of 1,000 yards or more.
He's big, he's reliable.
Last year he was injured.
Had the hamstring injury, had a collarbone, fractured collarbone.
So, you know, I think looking at the free agent market, y- y- you can't compete and go get a guy like Alec Pierce, a guy who, you know, just tops the, the market and, you know, the, the wide receiver market is, is wild.
So you have to get a guy like, like Mike Evans, who certainly is not an ascending player, but somebody who immediately steps in, replaces Juwan Jennings.
Juwan Jennings, gone.
There's no way the 49ers can bring him back now.
Yep, yep.
So that, that's kind of the You know, you can't bring back Juwan Jennings, y- you bring in Mike Evans, and, and, you know, I know people in Tampa were very disappointed to see him go.
A tremendous career, you know, will be in their ring of honor and their hall of fame.
but for a, a one-year or two-year measure, i- it's, it's a move the 49ers felt like they had to make.
Rod, what grade do you give this move for the 49ers?
H- h- how do you grade it?
I will give it a B, and I'll give it a B because I personally wanted the Niners to go younger.
That would've been Romeo Dobbs.
But I have absolutely no problems with Mike Evans.
He's exactly what they need.
He, he's a true boundary receiver.
He's big, he's strong, and with the exception of last year, where he had the hamstring issue, and I know that makes people think at, at 33 years old, a hamstring injury, and he had a broken collarbone, right?
Broken bones happen in football.
That's not something that's going to be chronic.
But when Mike Evans is healthy and available, he is one of the best receivers in football.
He's a red zone target, he's an al- he's an always available player.
So as far as I'm concerned, listen, they didn't go with my personal preference to get younger, but I got no problem with the healthy Mike Evans.
He's a better- version of Juwan Jennings, and he's going to be great in the red zone for the Niners.
And by the way, for folks who are worried, "Oh, he's 33 years old, how much production does he have left?
How, how is that going to be good for the Niners?"
Davante Adams is in his early 30s, actually 33 years old, and he made a big difference with the Rams last year, particularly in the red zone.
So I'm down with Mike Evans, provided of course he stays healthy.
And even though he's an Aggie, not a good Aggie from Davis, he's a bad Aggie from College Station.
Even though he's an Aggie, I'm cool with Mike Evans.
what do you think, Matt, that the 49ers make this move instead of just bringing back Juwan Jennings or getting someone younger?
W- why, why is he appealing for the 49ers?
'Cause it, it came at a ripe at the right price, a price that they were, were willing to, to give, and it was bird in the hand too.
You know, they were able to get him, v- very, quickly here, just 90 minutes into the open negotiating period.
I, I think also this does not preclude them from using a draft pick or two on a wide receiver in free agency too.
I don't think Mike Evans is a long-term fix.
I, I d- I can't see him playing out the entire three years.
We'll see.
We don't know how the, the contract is structured.
But the early reports, and this is coming from the agent, so they're always gonna blow it up, and, and there's, you know It's the max that it could be would be three years, for 20 million a year.
It probably will come in quite a bit under that.
But yeah, I mean, it's The 49ers needed a starting caliber wide receiver, and now they have Mike Evans to pair with Ricky Pearsall, and I d- I do think that it does give them a, a pretty good variety.
You know, two different- style of wide receivers.
So to me, I mean, it, it, it certainly makes sense, but, they I think they continue, can continue to add at that position.
Right now you have Ricky Pearsall, Mike Evans, DeMarcus Robinson remains under contract, Jordan Watkins, who, was basically a red shirt year last year, Jacob Cowling, who never stepped on the field because of an injury.
So they can certainly add player, a player at least, at that- position in what looks to be a, a pretty strong wide receiver draft in that whole group.
Rod, h- how does this move the needle in terms of favoritism for the 49ers inside the NFC West and the NFC overall?
Well, I mean, listen, let's keep it a buck.
the Seahawks are the defending champions, even though they got a little bit weaker, not, not re-signing Kenneth Walker.
And the Rams, what they've done this, off-season here, this short amount of time, particularly with their defense, if you're a Niner fan, you look at that and go, you clearly see that they're pushing their chips in the middle of the table and they are formidable.
For But what the Niners I mean, this is not to say that they cannot compete, because they clearly can compete, and one of the big problems for the Niners last year was at, at the wide receiver position.
So there's a long way for the Niners to go.
But with the core that the Niners have, starting of course with Brock Purdy, you're getting a healthy Fred Warner back, obviously Christian McCaffrey, and we will get to the Trent Williams conundrum, let's call it that- in just a second.
The Niners still have the core, and the talent, and the coaching talent, particularly with Kyle Shanahan obviously, to, to compete.
But for the Niners, it's, it's, it's about sort of maintaining what you have, getting better in areas where you were deficient.
Today we're talking about obviously wide receiver.
But again, and this is maybe a different discussion f- than what we're doing right now, they've got to hit on this upcoming draft.
But right now the Niners, and again, I don't think this is anything controversial to say, they are looking up in the NFC West at Seattle and at the Rams until proven otherwise.
