Jerry Rice is a big fan of the Mike Evans signing.
The Hall-of-Fame receiver told 95.7 The Fan on Tuesday that he’s “really fired up” after hearing the news that the San Francisco 49ers signed Evans to a three-year deal that’s worth $60.4 million in free agency.
“What happened yesterday with Mike Evans is big,” Rice said. “I’m serious now. He’s the threat that opposing teams are gonna have to pay attention to… I’m really fired up right now!”
Rice is right — this is “big” for San Francisco. The 49ers lost Kendrick Bourne to the Arizona Cardinals and could lose Jauan Jennings as well in free agency. So, Evans is the de facto No. 1 target for Brock Purdy, with George Kittle still injured and Ricky Pearsall more as a No. 2 receiver. Of course, running back Christian McCaffrey should still soak up a lot of looks.
Rice added that despite Evans’ age of 32, he believes the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer has a lot of fire left in his career. While Evans only caught 30 receptions for 368 yards and three scores in an injury-plagued 2025 season, the veteran amassed 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons before his 12th year this past season. Evans has 866 career receptions for 13,052 yards and 108 touchdowns.
The 2026 season will be his first outside of Tampa, though. So it will be interesting to see how Evans plays in a brand new environment.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers legend Jerry Rice comments on Mike Evans signing
Reporting by Oliver G., Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
