In a statement posted to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' website, coach Todd Bowles said he "wishes Mike Evans well as he continues his Hall of Fame career."
Most free agents don’t get a tribute when they leave their former team, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Mike Evans isn’t most free agents.
Soon after word got out that Evans had reached a three-year, $60 million agreement with the San Francisco 49ers, the team's owners, the Glazer family, issued a statement thanking Evans for his 12 years in Tampa, and Evans most recent head coach did the same.
Todd Bowles, who was with the Bucs for seven of Evans’ 12 seasons, four as head coach, wrote via the team’s website that Evans was "a true competitor who always found a way to rise to the occasion for us."
"It's hard to see him leave, but I respect his decision,” Bowles wrote. “More than anything, I want to thank him for all the work he poured into making himself an elite player and the leadership he displayed during his outstanding 12-year run here. He provided all of us with special moments on and off the field that we won't soon forget. I wish him well as he continues his Hall of Fame career."
It’s not yet known what offer the Bucs made to try to keep Evans, aside from general manager Jason Licht publicly saying the team would love to have him around.
What has been stated explicitly is that Evans, who will be 33 in late September, wants to win another Super Bowl.
Evans’ agents communicated to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that Evans wanted to play for a team that could win it all, and he found one in the 49ers.
The Niners won 13 games last season -- including a road playoff game against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles -- and did so despite dealing with injuries to key players such as quarterback Brock Purdy and middle linebacker Fred Warner.
Being the No. 1 receiver in an offense led by head coach Kyle Shanahan and rising offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak was a hard offer to pass up, and Evans' agent, Deryk Gilmore, sent a statement to ESPN’s Adam Schefter saying that Evans leaving Tampa was more about wanting a new challenge than about money.
Not all Bucs fan are buying that, and wish the franchise had made more of an effort to keep Evans around.
“I wish Evans had stated the real truth,” one user posted to X after news of Evans' departure spread, "the Bucs organization is not dedicated to winning."
Other Bucs fans are fine with Evans moving on.
"He's old, now he's overpaid and starting to get injured a lot," wrote one user. "He'll be good for them (San Francisco) because he's Mike Evans but eh...."
It is true that Evans had begun to struggle with injury problems.
A variety of ailments kept him out of action for nine of Tampa’s 17 regular-season games in 2025, and thus, he didn’t get a fair chance to break Jerry Rice’s record for most consecutive seasons with 1,000+ yards (Evans and Rice are tied with 11).
Whether or not the Evans is "overpaid" is, of course, subjective.
But as with any player, not having to pay him opens up more room to address some of the Bucs' other needs.
The good news is that the Bucs have promise at receiver.
2025 first-round pick Emeka Egbuka had nearly 1,000 yards in his first season and was a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The Bucs also used their final pick of last year’s draft on a receiver, and in doing so might have found a hidden gem in Tez Johnson.
Tampa is also looking forward to getting a full season out of Jalen McMillan, who was limited to four games last season due to a career-threatening neck injury, but had 461 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2024.
Evans' time in Tampa ends with shelves full of NFL honors that include two All-Pro selections, 13,052 receiving yards (21st all-time) and a Super Bowl ring.
He will doubtless be inducted one day into the Buccaneers' Hall of Honor as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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