George Kittle is recovering from ACL surgery, but the 49ers All-Pro tight end is still making connections.
Kittle’s sales pitch to Mike Evans was a “big reason why” the six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver decided to leave the Buccaneers after 12 years for the 49ers, he said Thursday.
The 49ers introduced Evans over video after finalizing a three-year contract reportedly worth up to $42 million, adding the 6-foot-5 veteran as a big, new target for quarterback Brock Purdy.
San Francisco needed to round out its receiving corps with Kittle expected to miss most of next year and John Lynch confirming he doesn’t expect Brandon Aiyuk to play another snap for the team.
While Evans, 32, considered the Bills and other contenders with good quarterbacks and a need for a No. 1 receiver, he said Kittle “was the biggest salesman” for the 49ers. “George sold it big-time.”
Evans, who posted 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons before being limited to eight games in 2025, said he has long admired Purdy and coach Kyle Shanahan. Purdy’s first career start came against Evans and the Buccaneers. “I saw right then and there that if I could play with him I could help him out a lot,” he said.
Evans took note of the 49ers‘ 13-4 finish despite their litany of injuries. (And, no, was apparently not dissuaded by their proximity to that power plant.)
“I feel like they were one piece away, and I feel like I’m that piece,” Evans said. “I look forward to coming here and proving that.”
The decision to move on from Tampa Bay, the organization that drafted him seventh overall in 2014, “was always going to be hard,” Evans said. “… The money was not the biggest factor for me. It was football. Something that I can be excited about.”
The idea of playing at Levi’s Stadium in Shanahan’s offensive system apparently excited Evans to such a degree that the two sides came to an agreement less than two hours after NFL free agency opened.
If Kittle hadn’t sold him yet, then Evans’ conversation with Shanahan sealed the deal.
“I’ve always been a fan of Kyle. He just talked about how he sees me in this offense, and it just made me even happier,” Evans said. “It was just a no-brainer after I got off the phone with him.”