The San Francisco 49ers’ offseason move to bring in Mike Evans has already drawn a strong reaction from one of the game’s most respected receivers, and Larry Fitzgerald didn’t hold back.
Speaking with The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, the former Arizona Cardinals star called Evans “the most underrated receiver of this generation,” and made it clear he believes the veteran wideout’s production speaks for itself.
“I think he's the most underrated receiver of this generation," Fitzgerald said. "You'd be hard-pressed to find anybody who has been more consistently productive than he has. He's a Super Bowl champion."
Fitzgerald also pointed to what could happen now that Evans is plugged into Kyle Shanahan’s offense. In his view, that combination alone should make the rest of the league uneasy.
“Now you team him with Kyle Shanahan, one of the greatest offensive minds we have in our game, and that's pretty scary. … I think Christian Kirk is going to be a really magnificent addition for the 49ers as well.”
(For what it's worth, Fitzgerald played with Kirk for his first three NFL seasons from 2017 to 2020)
The praise lines up with what Evans has already done over the course of his career. He is entering his 13th NFL season, and before an injury-hit 2025 campaign interrupted the run, he had stacked up 11 straight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. He also owns 108 career receiving touchdowns, which puts him 10th all-time and second among active players behind only the Los Angeles Rams’ Davante Adams.
Fitzgerald isn’t the only one who sees the fit as a major win for San Francisco. 49ers tight end George Kittle recently said Evans brings a veteran presence the offense has been missing, and he described him as the first truly legitimate, established veteran wide receiver 1 the team has had since Emmanuel Sanders’ short but important run during the 2019 Super Bowl push.
With Evans now in place as a physical downfield target for Brock Purdy, and with Kirk joining him alongside Kittle and Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers’ passing game has a chance to look dangerous in a hurry. If Fitzgerald is right, Shanahan and Evans could end up giving defensive coordinators fits all season long.
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There is still plenty of caution attached to the idea, though, because any move here would be based as much on projection as on certainty. Clowney has been productive, but there are real questions about whether he can keep that level going for another full season, which is why the 49ers are weighing the possibility carefully rather than treating it like a sure thing. [Read more 🡒]