Jason Licht opened up on Mike Evans’s decision to leave Tampa for the 49ers.
, joining San Francisco on a three-year, $42.4 million with $14.3 million guaranteed. The Buccaneers were committed to keeping Evans, but the veteran receiver ultimately left to continue his career elsewhere.
“We made a significantly higher offer and that was just the first offer,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said, viaLicht also noted that he had a verbal agreement that Evans could stay with the Buccaneers as long as he wanted. Amid Evans’s departure, there has been speculation regarding what made him decide to leave the Buccaneers. After all, it wasn’t because of money since the Buccaneers were willing to offer more to retain their superstar. One theory that has floated around is that Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers’ defensive collapse during their Thursday night loss to the Falcons played a part in Evans leaving. Evans wasas the Buccaneers’ loss, a defeat that contributed to Tampa Bay missing the postseason for the first time since 2019.. “A lot of people were frustrated and Mike was frustrated, as competitive as he is, but nothing was ever directed. I mean, probably the person that was most frustrated in that particular incident was Todd. There's a lot of things—every team I've been a part of there's instances like that where players get emotional in times that may be not be as public or caught on camera. It’s in the locker room, but that had zero to do with it.” Licht didn’t elaborate much on why Evans left, noting it was a decision that Evans and his family made.. “... Mike gave us everything he had for his 12 seasons here and established himself as one of the best players in the league. One of the best players we ever had.”to come to the Bay Area. He told reporter, “I was looking at here, Buffalo Bills, teams that needed a No. 1 wide receiver. I liked this place. This was my No. 1 spot on my own . Then I talked to John and Kyle and it solidified it more for me. ... it was a no-brainer after I got on the phone with them. “They always compete,” Evans added. “Even with the injuries last year, they went 13–4. I feel like they were one piece away, and I think that I’m that piece.”Evans also shared that tight end George Kittle helped sell him on coming to the 49ers. During an appearance on, Kittle explained that he raved to Evans about how much the organization pours into the 49ers’ players from providing three meals seven days a week, a full-time nutritionist, beds on flights for starters to health days twice a week where the 49ers pay for everything, including massages and acupuncture. “I sold him on the organization, and also, we have a fantastic culture,” Kittle said.this year. They received an F grade in team travel, a B- in nutritionist/dietician, a D+ in food/dining area and a D in ownership among other categories. The 49ers meanwhile ranked 14th overall and earned a C+ in team travel, a B+ in nutritionist/dietician, an A for food/dining area and an A- for ownership.Eva Geitheim is an NFL writer at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor’s in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or rewatching Gilmore Girls.
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