49ers bolster receiving group by agreeing to a 3-year deal with Mike Evans, AP source says

By Canadian Press on March 9, 2026.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers added a proven pass catcher for quarterback Brock Purdy, agreeing to a three-year contract with Mike Evans at the start of the free agent negotiating period.

A person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press that the sides came to the agreement to bring the 32-year-old Evans to San Francisco on Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be signed until the start of the league year on Wednesday.

ESPN reported that the deal is worth $60.4 million.

Evans is coming off an injury-filled 2025 season when he only played eight games and failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his 12-year career with Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers issued a statement thanking Evans and said the team will honor him in the future.

“Saying goodbye to a legend such as Mike Evans is never easy, but today we are filled with appreciation and gratitude for all that he did during his extraordinary 12-year career as a Buccaneer,” the team’s owners, the Glazer family, said in a statement. “Our goal was always to ensure that Mike would play his entire career as a Buccaneer, but as we got further in the process it became clear he was looking for a new challenge.”

The Niners needed a proven receiver with the team planning to release Brandon Aiyuk on Wednesday after placing him on the reserve/left squad list last season after he stopped showing up to rehabilitate a knee injury that had sidelined him since October 2024. Aiyuk had signed a four-year, $120 million extension before the 2024 season but the $27 million that was guaranteed for the 2026 season had been voided.

Evans joins a receiving group that features 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, veteran Demarcus Robinson and unproven young players Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins. Jauan Jennings, who was the team’s top wideout last season, is set to be a free agent.

Evans became the first player in NFL history to have at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first 11 seasons when he hit the mark in the 2024 season finale.

But he has been hampered by injuries the past two seasons, missing three games in 2024 and nine last season because of a hamstring injury and broken collarbone. Evans had only 30 catches for 368 yards and three TDs last season.

Evans has been an Pro Bowler six times and was twice a second-team All-Pro. He has 866 career catches for 13,052 yards and 108 touchdowns. Evans ranks 10th all time in TD catches and his 11 seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving are second most ever to Jerry Rice’s 14.

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Josh Dubow, The Associated Press