Star wide receiver Mike Evans is leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to sign a three-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“The Buccaneers made it clear they would have loved for Mike to finish his career in Tampa and potentially become just the fourth player in franchise history to spend his entire career as a Buccaneer and ultimately walk into Canton representing the organization,” agent Deryk Gilmore said in a statement.
“Mike Evans’ decision to leave Tampa was never about money. The Buccaneers were extremely aggressive in their pursuit and presented a very strong offer, demonstrating how much they value him and everything he has meant to the franchise. In the end, this decision simply came down to Mike wanting a new challenge and a fresh opportunity while he still feels he has a great deal left to give the game.
“Tampa Bay will always be a special place for Mike Evans, and his respect and gratitude for the organization and its fans will never change.”
The seventh overall draft pick in 2014 and the first-ever draft pick by Bucs general manager Jason Licht, Evans spent 12 seasons with the franchise, becoming the franchise’s all-time leading scorer with 662 points.
As their “X” receiver, he has been their true deep-ball, big-play threat for chunk yardage, and their top red zone scoring weapon, on top of serving as a mentor to younger teammates such as Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka.
Evans’ 11 consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards is tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in NFL history. It was a record he set out to gain full possession of in the 2025 season — and had Rice’s blessing to do so — before a broken collarbone in Week 7 landed him on injured reserve. He made it back for Week 15, however, delivering a 132-yard receiving performance in a 28-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Evans, 32, was disappointed in the Bucs failing to make the postseason for the first time since the 2019 season. Once he made the decision not to retire this offseason, it was important for him to determine where he felt he had his best chance to compete for another Super Bowl, carefully evaluating the quarterback position, the offensive coordinator and what his role would be.
The Bucs had parted ways with their one-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard after the 2025 season and hired former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson in hopes of recapturing the Bucs’ highly potent offense under Liam Coen in 2024 (Robinson worked with Coen under Sean McVay when they were with the Los Angeles Rams) and because of his previous working relationship with quarterback Baker Mayfield during his five-game stint with the Rams in 2022.
Evans is one of just 10 players in league history with 13,000+ receiving yards and 100+ receiving touchdowns, along with Pro Football Hall of Famers Rice, Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Tony Gonzalez, Marvin Harrison Sr., Steve Largent, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Larry Fitzgerald.
His 108 receiving touchdowns and 13,052 receiving yards are the most among active receivers who have spent their entire careers with the same team.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine contributed to this report.
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