Mike Evans’ move to the San Francisco 49ers has a way of making people look twice at Baker Mayfield.
For Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans, the offseason departure stings on its own. Evans looked like the rare franchise fixture, the kind of player who would stay put for his entire career. Instead, he left after the Bucs offered him a fair contract and headed to San Francisco in a scarlet 49ers jersey.
That choice has also invited a bigger question: did Evans simply want a new chapter, or did his decision say something about the quarterbacks he’d rather play with?
Nick San Miguel of Niner Noise argued that Evans’ free-agent move could matter in the Baker Mayfield vs. Brock Purdy conversation. Mayfield landed ahead of Purdy on the NFL Top 100, but San Miguel pointed to Evans choosing Purdy as a possible separator between the two passers.
Since Purdy’s rookie season in 2022, the numbers for both quarterbacks have been close enough to keep the debate alive. But San Miguel believes Evans’ decision tells its own story.
"They’re basically pretty equal when looking at the stats, but the tiebreak should go to Evans, considering he had a choice in free agency this offseason and chose Purdy over Mayfield.
This doesn’t mean he thinks Mayfield is terrible or anything, but Evans has played with Tom Brady. He knows good quarterback play when he sees it, and at this point in his career, he decided he was better off having Purdy throw him the ball than Mayfield," San Miguel wrote.
"Evans' decision speaks volumes and tips the scales in the debate decidedly in one direction. Mayfield is unquestionably a good quarterback, but Purdy is better and the NFL rankings do not reflect that.
Perhaps that will change after this season, especially if Purdy and Evans go off and establish a magical connection."
Evans’ exit does not read like a shot at Mayfield. It reads like a veteran receiver choosing what he thinks is the best fit for the next stage of his career. He was productive with Mayfield in Tampa Bay, and Evans helped revive Mayfield’s career after arriving in Tampa.
Still, the move opens the door to an uncomfortable conversation for Mayfield. Evans had a good thing going with him, but he wanted something different, and he found it in San Francisco. Buccaneers fans will keep rooting for Evans, but they probably won’t mind if the grass doesn’t turn out to be greener after all.
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