{"id":1153,"date":"2026-06-04T06:37:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T06:37:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1153"},"modified":"2026-06-04T06:37:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T06:37:44","slug":"49ers-mike-evans-feels-fresh-rejuvenated-as-offseason-program-ends-early","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1153","title":{"rendered":"49ers’ Mike Evans feels fresh, rejuvenated as offseason program ends early"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SANTA CLARA \u2013 Mike Evans\u2019 highlights were showcased in Wednesday\u2019s team meeting, a day before coach Kyle Shanahan lets the 49ers out early for summer break.<\/p>\n

Read more Santa Clara County judge issues arrest warrant for 49ers player Brandon Aiyuk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard for young guys not to fan-girl over a guy like that. Even myself, I\u2019ll watch him from afar,\u201d left tackle Trent Williams said. \u201cCoach put him up on the big board today. For OTAs in, what Year 13, taking it serious as he did, that to me is an example of why he is who he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evans\u2019 addition was the 49ers\u2019 most prominent offseason move, and his self-described \u201csmooth\u201d transition after 12 years in Tampa Bay bodes well for an offense that must overcome NFC West superpowers in Seattle and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day I see Mike, I say, \u2018Wow, Mike Evans is here.\u2019 I pinch myself every day,\u201d tight end George Kittle said. \u201cIf you look back at the 49ers, this is like the first legit veteran wide receiver I\u2019ve had on my roster since Emmanuel Sanders in 2019, in my opinion. Nothing against all the other veteran receivers I\u2019ve had, but he\u2019s a Hall of Famer who is a First Team All-Pro, Pro Bowl guy. He\u2019s an incredible wide receiver.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was no surprise to see Evans break free against Deommodore Lenoir to catch Brock Purdy\u2019s first pass of team drills Wednesday. More wide-open catches followed. Evans even darted into a scrum to block on a run play.<\/p>\n

Evans\u2019 arrival was the expected star attraction in an offseason program that is ending early. The final organized team activities will take place Friday, with Shanahan nixing next week\u2019s mandatory minicamp as a reward for players\u2019 participation (and perhaps to avoid next week\u2019s final World Cup preparations at Levi\u2019s Stadium).<\/p>\n

\u201cHe takes ball incredibly seriously, and that sets the tone for the wide receiver room, especially with a bunch of young guys in there,\u201d added Kittle, whose Achilles recovery had him running on the side in hopes of a Week 1 comeback.<\/p>\n

Like Kittle, a major injury impacted Evans, too, last season. He missed nine games, initially due to a hamstring strain before sustaining a fractured collarbone.<\/p>\n

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After producing 1,000 yards in each of his first 11 seasons, Evans planned on easily breaking Jerry Rice\u2019s record and being the first to string together 12 straight 1,000-yard campaigns. All he totaled was 368 yards last season on his way out as the Bucs\u2019 all-time leading receiver.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was super disappointing. I\u2019m extremely competitive and for me to not break that record, I thought I was going to break it easy, how hungry I was going into that season,\u201d Evans said. \u201cIn life, some things are not going to go your way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at that injury as a blessing in disguise. I\u2019m feeling really fresh, I\u2019m feeling rejuvenated and I\u2019m in a new spot, a change I felt needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

And change is what\u2019s come to a 49ers\u2019 receiving corps that relied on past playoff runs with Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk, the latter of whom remains on the roster\u2019s reserve\/left-squad list. Aiyuk also has a Santa Clara County warrant out for his arrest in regards to last December\u2019s viral video of him speeding past Levi\u2019s Stadium.<\/p>\n

Read more Webb flirts with history, turns in best start of year in SF Giants\u2019 win over Brewers<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

As for Evans, he met the media for the first time face to face Wednesday and wore a sleeveless T-shirt that read \u201chumble over hype.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you get around certain guys and every single day it\u2019s something different,\u201d wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson said. \u201cBut with Mike, you know exactly what you\u2019re getting from him. He comes in, works his tail off, asks questions, writes his notes, sits in the very first seat in the room. If there\u2019s something he doesn\u2019t understand, he asks.\u201d<\/p>\n

AUSTRALIAN OPENER\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Williams didn\u2019t mince words about the Rams hosting the 49ers in Australia rather than SoFi Stadium, saying: \u201cIt took away a home game, in my opinion. It\u2019s probably why we had to go to Australia to play the Rams, to cover up the deficiencies in ticket sales on their end. Nobody wants to travel 20 hours to play a game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kittle is unsure how his surgically repaired Achilles will respond to the long flights, assuming he travels and plays. \u201cPlay over there in front of an awesome crowd, huge stadium, 110,000 people. It sounds sick to me. Might as well just take advantage of it,\u201d Kittle said.<\/p>\n

WILLIAMS\u2019 FUTURE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Williams confirmed he envisions retiring after two more seasons, which conforms to April\u2019s two-year, $50 million contract revision. Last season\u2019s playoff push was inspirational, as was this offseason\u2019s roster moves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat did restore the fun into it, you could say,\u201d Williams said of 2025. \u201cThe season prior, excuse my language, was a (clown) show. To be faced with so much adversity the next year and overcome, we showed we can be successful and it provides the fun you get addicted to when playing and winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

GARRETT REACTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Williams let out a cheeky smile when asked about the Rams\u2019 trade Monday for defensive end Myles Garrett.\u00a0\u201cSame as everybody. Everybody that\u2019s not in Rams country. It sucks,\u201d Williams said. \u201c\u2026 I ain\u2019t the only one that\u2019s got to block him. There are 30 other teams, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Kittle: \u201cGood for them. Nothing I can do about it. They traded for him for a reason. We\u2019re in a very good division. It\u2019s going to be a fun challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who held that role with the 2021-23 Rams, said he was not surprised when he heard the news. \u201cI know those guys well, and it wasn\u2019t a shock,\u201d Morris said.<\/p>\n

WEDNESDAY\u2019S PICKS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Morris rubbed it in on Purdy when the 49ers intercepted him, with Malik Mustapha doing so first before Darrell Luter undercut a tipped pass to Evans. Morris praised Purdy\u2019s offseason work, however, saying: \u201cHe is a layer king. So accurate. Puts ball right spot. He\u2019s torched me for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another interception came when Eli Apple collected a wobbly pass from Kurtis Rourke, who is vying for a No. 3 role with Adrian Martinez. Mac Jones did not throw Wednesday because of a sore shoulder that checked out clean and should be ready for training camp, which is expected to open July 25 or 26.<\/p>\n

Read more Man suspected of filming woman in shower at Sunnyvale gym<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mike Evans’ arrival didn’t disappoint as the 49ers wrap up their offseason program this week and nix next week’s mandatory minicamp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n49ers’ Mike Evans feels fresh, rejuvenated as offseason program ends early - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1153\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"49ers’ Mike Evans feels fresh, rejuvenated as offseason program ends early - 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