Mike Evans' Buccaneers career ends as he agrees to 3-year deal with 49ers

Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times on Mar 9, 2026

Published in Football

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TAMPA, Fla. — What began as rumor is now reality. Mike Evans is leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 12 seasons.

Evans has agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $60 million with the San Francisco 49ers, according to his agent, Deryk Gilmore.

Gilmore said in a statement Monday that Evans simply wanted a new challenge, but Tampa Bay will always be home.

“After 12 remarkable seasons in Tampa Bay, Mike Evans felt a desire to challenge himself with a new chapter in the final stage of his career,” Gilmore said. “Throughout his entire career, he has pushed himself to grow, compete and evolve as a player, and this decision reflects that same mindset.

“Mike has tremendous love and respect for the Buccaneers organization, the Glazer family, the coaches, his teammates, and especially the fans in Tampa Bay who have supported him since the day he was drafted. Tampa will always be home to him, and he is deeply proud of everything they accomplished together.”

Gilmore previously had said Evans wanted to test free agency when the negotiating period began at noon Monday. He wasn’t out there very long, lasting only two and a half hours before joining the 49ers and the team run by general manager John Lynch, a former Bucs safety.

Shortly before the deadline, the Indianapolis Colts prevented receiver Alec Pierce from entering the free-agent market by signing him to a four-year, $116 million contract. He averaged 21.3 yards per catch last season.

After flirting with the idea of free agency, the Bucs were hoping Evans ultimately would find his way back home.

Gilmore said the decision was never about money. Reportedly, the Bucs made a competitive offer.

“At this stage of his career, Mike’s goals remain the same as they have always been — to compete for another Super Bowl, to play in an offensive system that challenges defenses, and to be in an environment where he can continue to push himself and contribute at the highest level," Gilmore said.

“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.”

Evans, a future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, had spent his entire career wearing one uniform.

It’s the fourth — and possibly last — contract that Evans will sign. He turns 33 in August and had said he believed he could play for two or three more seasons.

Evans struggled through the most frustrating season of his career. He played in only eight games in 2025 after struggling with a hamstring injury and fractured collar bone.

The Bucs will have to eat $13 million of dead money on the salary cap for Evans.

Gilmore has tried to prepare Bucs fans for Evans’ departure, saying that Evans wanted them to know Tampa Bay was loaded at the receiver position with Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson.

Two years ago, Evans re-signed with the Bucs seven days before the start of the free-agency period, agreeing to a two-year, $41 million contract.

Last season, he played in only eight games due to a hamstring injury and a broken collarbone. He finished with only 30 receptions and was visibly upset about the Bucs 2-7 finish to the season.

“Mike Evans’ decision to leave Tampa was never about money,” Gilmore said. ”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.”

Evans is the Bucs’ all-time leading receiver who tied Jerry Rice with 11 consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving. Now he gets to play for a 49ers franchise where Rice set all those records.

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