Mike Evans free agency rumor is good news for Broncos, Patriots and 49ers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The end of Mike Evans’ tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be near and it’s good news for the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.
Advertisement
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Evans is set to become a free agent after not getting a deal done with the Bucs and suitors believe he is serious about not returning to Tampa Bay.
“Sources: Bucs legend Mike Evans is poised to become a free agent next hour, and interested teams have gotten the sense he’s serious about leaving Tampa Bay after 12 seasons,” Schultz reported.
Evans will be able to agree to terms with any team starting on Monday at noon ET, when the legal tampering period begins. He cannot make a deal official until Wednesday, though, when the official start of the new league year hits.
Reports suggest Evans has specific demands for a new team that include a high volume of targets, a respected play-caller and a chance to win a Super Bowl.
Advertisement
The Broncos and Patriots check all three of those boxes, and the Niners easily check two of them, with the Super Bowl contender one being the box San Francisco might not check in Evans’ eyes.
That’s because the Niners might be in a transition year in 2026 as the team looks to get younger and put itself in a better financial situation, but San Fran is also coming off a season in which it won 12 regular season games and a playoff contest.
Another demand for Evans is playing with a quarterback he respects. Those three teams could all check that box.
Bo Nix and Drake Mayeare rising stars, and Brock Purdy is a good quarterback who has made it to a Super Bowl before.
Advertisement
New England and San Francisco have the most dire need at wide receiver, so they can definitely offer Evans a big role.
The Pats are cutting Stefon Diggs, which leaves them without a true No. 1 receiver, and the Niners could lose Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne and Brandon Aiyuk, which would leave them with Ricky Pearsall and not much else.
The Broncos have a No. 1 target in-house in Courtland Sutton, but he is surrounded by young and unproven players, so there’s room for Evans to see plenty of work.
We suspect the Broncos and Patriots have a better chance to land Evans than the Niners, but all three teams could logically be in the mix.
Advertisement