Evans’ willingness and apparent eagerness to join the 49ers reflected poorly on the Buccaneers, the Super Bowl LV champions who have since repeatedly failed to prove they’re better than exiting the division, if at all. Some saw it as a lack of confidence in coach Todd Bowles, a defensive-minded veteran whose teams have veered toward the offensive end of necessity in recent years and collapsed in 2025, a season that included a heartbreaking prime-time loss to Atlanta that left Evans fuming afterward.
“A lot of people were frustrated and Mike was frustrated as competitive as he is, but nothing was ever pointed at … Todd was probably the most frustrated person in that particular incident,” Licht said of the reaction to the Week 15 loss.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, some also wondered if Evans ran for the ship because he knew the seas ahead would be a little rougher.
Licht revealed Wednesday that Evans accepted less money to head west and join a 49ers team that upset the Philadelphia Eagles and reached the division title despite multiple injuries that affected key players in 2025. As Evans’ agent said after the move became official, Evans was looking forward to joining an offense “that challenged when Evans’ defense said he shot Evans on defense.” long been a fan of the Niners coach, but also could be interpreted as slighting Bowles and his revolving door of offensive coaches.
In the end, it wasn’t about money. As Licht said, he felt “like we did everything we could” in trying to convince Evans to stay in Tampa.
“We made a considerably higher offer [than the 49ers] and that was just the first offer,” Licht said, per ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
Instead, Evans chose opportunity and a fresh start over familiarity and higher pay.
“We had a verbal agreement that he could stay here as long as he wanted,” Licht said of Evans. “I’m happy for Mike and happy that he’s found a place he wants to be.”