Larry Fitzgerald doesn’t throw around praise lightly. The future Hall of Famer spent 17 seasons catching passes at an elite level, so when he says someone is the most underrated wide receiver of a generation, it carries weight.
Fitzgerald was talking about Mike Evans, who just signed with the San Francisco 49ers for the 2026 season. And he didn’t stop at the underrated label.
“You’d be hard pressed to find anybody who has been more consistently productive than he has. He’s a Super Bowl champion,” Fitzgerald said, per OurSF49ers. “Now you team him with Kyle Shanahan, one of the greatest offensive minds we have in our game, and that’s pretty scary.”
Evans has over 13,000 receiving yards in his career. He’s been a model of durability and production. But Fitzgerald’s point is that the guy still doesn’t get talked about the way some of his peers do. Maybe that changes now that he’s in San Francisco, playing for a coach who makes receivers look even better.
Jerry Rice is also on board
Fitzgerald isn’t the only legend who loves this move. Jerry Rice, arguably the greatest receiver ever and a 49ers icon, has been glowing about Evans since the signing was announced.
“With Mike Evans coming on board, what a great leader. I had the opportunity to meet him, and he’s just such a good individual, and he works hard,” Rice told NBC Sports Bay Area. “The players are going to get the chance to probably see a Hall of Fame inductee, and he’s going to work his butt off every day.”
Rice also said he and Evans have a relationship that goes back a few years. They shot a commercial together, and Rice admitted he started following Evans closely after that.
“It was just unfortunate that he got hurt because he had a good chance of breaking my record,” Rice said. “And if anybody was going to break my record, I would have loved him to do it.”
That record Rice is talking about is the NFL’s all-time receiving yards mark. Evans got hurt late last season and finished just short of making a serious run at it. Still, having Rice himself say that is pretty telling.
What this means for the 49ers
The 49ers already had one of the more talented rosters in the NFC. Adding a veteran receiver with Evans’ track record — and the endorsements from Fitzgerald and Rice — only raises expectations.
Shanahan’s offense has a history of getting the most out of wideouts. Now he gets a 6-foot-5 target who can win on the outside, in the red zone, and on contested catches. Defensive coordinators are not going to enjoy game-planning for that.
49ers fans are already buzzing about what Evans can do this season. Training camp hasn’t even started yet, but the hype is real. And when two of the best receivers ever are calling a guy underrated, maybe he’s not anymore.
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