Mike Evans is off to San Francisco after 12 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The veteran signed a three-year, $42.5 million contract with his new team, with $14.3 million guaranteed. It’s a bit less than expected, and according to Aqib Talib, that didn’t matter for the wideout when it came to leaving Tampa and heading to the Bay Area.
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Evans seemingly took less money to play for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers. When the deal was announced, it came as a surprise to many who thought he would retire as a Buc. After all, he’s one of the franchise’s all-time greats, putting up 1,000-yard receiving seasons every year except this past one.
When former NFL vet Aqib Talib saw the figure Evans signed for, he felt it showed the receiver was completely done with the Bucs.
“That just shows you, you’re just done with that whole building. With the head coach, the GM, the quarterback. He just ain’t feeling that sh*t,” Talib said of Evans on The Arena: Gridiron podcast.
“He’s just done with that whole building.”
Mike Evans took less money to go to San Francisco and left Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/ZhPs5JLlOh
— The Arena: Gridiron (@ArenaGridiron) March 23, 2026
No news came out after the signing that reported on Evans’ disdain with the Buccaneers. So, this is all speculation. The Tampa Bay GM, Jason Licht, even came out after the signing saying that both sides handled the departure with mutual respect.
That said, there was a moment during the season last year when Evans looked visibly frustrated after a game. During their Week 15 contest against the Atlanta Falcons, the Bucs gave up a first down after having Atlanta at 3rd and 28 with 1:20 remaining in the game. The first down led to a game-winning field goal for the Falcons, winning 29-28.
Evans was caught on camera shouting, “It’s 3rd and 28,” and showing visible frustration as he headed to the locker room. Despite that moment, reports don’t indicate it directly led to his departure. Instead, he cited wanting a fresh start and a new opportunity to win.
At the end of the day, though, it feels like there could be more to Evans’ departure than meets the eye. He’s too respectful to publicly point to any specific issue while still playing. Maybe more details will come out after his career.
Of course, Evans could also be telling the truth. After 12 years with one team, he may simply want a change of scenery. Moving to the opposite coast is about as big a change as it gets. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares.
