Mike Evans shocked the NFL world when he decided earlier this offseason to leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 12 seasons to sign with the San Francisco 49ers.
Evans claims he decided to leave to pursue a new challenge late in his career. Reading between the lines, he didn’t feel like he could compete for a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, and wanted to chase a ring in the twilight of his career.
But another under-the-radar reason he decided on San Francisco was the chance to catch passes from quarterback Brock Purdy.
“True professional. Really underrated player. His first start was against my Buccaneers back in 2022 and I saw right then and there that if I play with him, I feel like I can help him out a lot,” Evans said during his introductory press conference.
“I just hope I can help him get where he wants to go in his career. And that’s, you know, be a Super Bowl champion, potential MVP and just have a great career here in San Francisco.”
Evans isn’t the type to throw a subliminal shot at a former teammate, and he didn’t mean to take a dig at Baker Mayfield.
But Mayfield has always been the type of player to take things personally. He plays his best football with a chip on his shoulder.
Why didn’t Evans feel like he could compete for a Super Bowl with Mayfield at the helm? Prior to 2025, the two had achieved back-to-back division titles and a ton of statistical success together.
Why did Evans need to go to San Francisco to help Purdy reach his goals and aspirations, rather than continuing to build with Mayfield in Tampa Bay?
Perhaps Evans will learn the grass isn’t greener in San Francisco. Losing him certainly hurts, but the Buccaneers still have a talented wide receiver group in Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, and Tez Johnson.
Maybe it will be Mayfield, not Purdy, that reaches an MVP-level and leads his team to a Super Bowl.
Evans’ choice to kick Mayfield and the Buccaneers to the curb wasn’t necessarily personal, but it could live in the back of Mayfield’s mind and give him just that extra boost of motivation needed to elevate his game to another level in 2026.
Nothing would make Baker Mayfield happier or more vindicated than making Mike Evans regret his decision.
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