Mike Evans is already being talked about like the piece that could tilt the San Francisco 49ers’ offense, and Chad Johnson isn’t exactly dialing it back.
Johnson took to social media and projected a monster 2026 for the veteran receiver: 98 catches, 1,343 yards and 12 touchdowns. If that line holds, it would be the most receptions Evans has ever posted in a season, the second-most receiving yards of his career and tied for the fourth-most touchdowns he’s produced in a year.
That kind of expectation comes with the territory after the 49ers brought Evans in on a three-year deal worth up to $42.4 million this offseason. He arrives in San Francisco after 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he built a résumé that speaks for itself: 176 career games, 866 receptions, 13,052 yards, 108 touchdowns, six Pro Bowls, two All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl ring.
At 32, Evans is expected to step in as Brock Purdy’s top target, and the fit has already sparked plenty of belief that he can still be a difference-maker. Johnson is among those betting on a big year.
The challenge, of course, is that Evans is coming off a rough season in which he missed nine games because of injury. That makes Johnson’s forecast ambitious, but even a step below that would likely leave San Francisco more than satisfied.
If Evans is healthy and resembles the player he’s been for most of his career, the 49ers could have a legitimate shot to push through the league’s toughest division and into the playoffs.
In Other News...
George Kittle Just Shared A Wild Kyle Shanahan Fight Story
George Kittle has a way of turning even a casual offseason memory into a full-on locker room story, and his latest one goes back to a 49ers trip to Cabo years ago. The tight end was talking about a golf outing that included both families and a few drinks, when a playful exchange with Kyle Shanahan escalated into a moment that sounded more like a backyard dare than a coach-player relationship.
For San Francisco, stories like that are part of the backdrop to a season that always seems to carry a little extra personality under Shanahan and Kittle. The same article also circles back to the roster picture, including Dre Greenlaws emotional return to the facility and the buzz around Jacob Cowing as a potential camp standout, but the Kittle anecdote is the kind of thing that reminds you how loose and human this group can be before the real football starts. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Camp Absences Suddenly Put Early Week 1 Focus On Four Names
The 49ers first week of training camp already has a different feel because of the names sitting out and the roster shuffling around them. General manager John Lynch said the team waived undrafted rookie tight end Khalil Dinkins with a non-football injury designation and brought in Tanner McLachlan, a 2024 sixth-round pick most recently with the Bengals, while defensive tackle Evan Anderson is expected to be released once a corresponding move is made.
More pressing for San Francisco is the group starting camp on the active/PUP list, with George Kittle, Isaac Guerendo, Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins all set to begin on the sideline. Lynch said Kittles rehab is coming along tremendously and that he is doing everything possible to be ready for Week 1, while Williams is also making every effort to be available for the opener even if that remains uncertain. [Read more 🡒]
5 Young 49ers Could Force Their Way Into Camp Battles
Training camp has a way of turning depth-chart guesses into real competition, and the 49ers have a handful of young players who could make that happen before the pads even come on. Jordan James, Jacob Cowing, Romello Height, Kurtis Rourke and Ephesians Prysock all arrive with different paths, but the same basic challenge: show enough early to make the staff keep them in the conversation for roles that are still very much up for grabs.
For some, the opening is obvious. Cowing can help himself on special teams even before he proves more as a receiver, while Height is the kind of edge presence the 49ers have been searching for in the right situation. Rourke is trying to stand out in a quarterback room that already has established names, and Prysock has a chance to make life interesting in the secondary. James, meanwhile, is in the middle of a backfield race that could be decided by who looks most ready when camp starts sorting out the pecking order. [Read more 🡒]