Was Mike Evans Right to Leave Buccaneers for 49ers?

Some players are franchise legends for their entire career and make their name with just one team. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers know what that's like — linebacker Lavonte David was one of those players, and he retired in 2025 after 14 seasons in red and pewter.

The Bucs also thought wideout Mike Evans was going to be one of those players — and so did he. When Evans re-signed with the Bucs before the start of the 2024 season, he famously declared that he was set to be a "Buc for life." Two years later, he was gone.

Evans decided to spurn the Bucs in free agency and sign with the San Francisco 49ers instead, leaving the team after 12 years of service. There's been plenty of talk about that move ever since it happened, and now that we're five weeks into the season, we're getting a clearer look at where Evans and the Bucs currently stand.

The look? Tampa Bay is 1-4 and staring at oblivion, and Evans and the 49ers are 5-0 and looking toward the Super Bowl.

So, was Evans right in leaving the Buccaneers to chase glory at the end of his career? It sure looks like it right now.

Mike Evans Made the Right Move

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (5) warms up prior to the game against the Miami Dolphins | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's no doubt that being a one-franchise player would have meant a lot to Evans. But there are things that matter more, and he's on a better track to achieve those things in San Francisco than he would have been in Tampa Bay.

Evans wants to be a Hall of Famer. To do that, he needs more production, he needs to be in the public eye more often and he needs to be on a team that could potentially win him a ring in the future. There was a time with Tom Brady that the Bucs hit on all three of those requirements, but that time is far gone.

The Bucs are not a Super Bowl-caliber team. They also have multiple wide receivers on their roster to share targets with, so Evans wouldn't have gotten the share he wanted, and with Brady gone and the Bucs middling, Evans likely wouldn't have gotten the exposure required for a Hall of Fame bid.

Even worse? The Buccaneers could be staring at a rebuild next season. If head coach Todd Bowles is fired (and maybe even general manager Jason Licht), the Bucs will be starting from scratch, and Evans could have simply been on his way out regardless. Retiring as a member of the team and continuing to make his case as a Hall of Famer now seems entirely impossible, and that the gamble Evans made here was right.

Whether it was because of what happened at the end of 2025 and the infamous third-and-28 or because he simply wanted a change of scenery, Evans was certainly right to separate from Tampa Bay. And he's proved it already in Week 5 of the regular season.

The Bucs face off against the Steelers in Week 6 to try to move to 2-4 on the year. Evans and the 49ers face off against the Washington Commanders to try and move to 6-0.

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