John Lynch Gets Back On The Field — With Mike Evans
August 17th, 2026
What next, Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht practicing against Vita Vea?
Licht is a former college offensive lineman. Joe doubts that would happen, especially given Vea’s current state of mind.
But that scenario popped in Joe’s head after legendary Bucs safety John Lynch, the 49ers general manager, spoke about his new Hall of Fame toy yesterday on the 49ers offense. That’s Mike Evans, the greatest receiver in Tampa Bay history.
The SiriusXM NFL Radio tour stopped at Niners camp Sunday and Lynch hopped on the airwaves to talk about Evans.
Lynch noted that he was asked to do some old school scouting of Evans — with his own 54-year-old body.
“We do little drills,” Lynch said. “[Evans] catches a lot of balls before [practice]. And one day they asked me to come over and just give him somebody leaning on him. And you see this wiry tall guy, but then when you’re doing those drills with him you feel his strength. It’s always cool when you really get to know a player and what makes them tick and what makes them great.”
Joe absolutely would love to see the 49ers return to their 2024 form when they finished 6-11. But it is somewhat cool to hear about Lynch actually on the field working with Evans. Who would have imagined that a year ago?
Lynch went on to praise Evans’ work ethic after getting to see it first-hand. “We’re looking so forward to playing with Mike,” Lynch said.
August 17th, 2026 at 11:20 am
Ugh, who cares?
August 17th, 2026 at 11:29 am
Worthless article.
August 17th, 2026 at 11:30 am
JoeNinersFan.com
August 17th, 2026 at 11:30 am
any word on Zyon and his groin?…you know, news on current buc players?
GO BUCS!!!
August 17th, 2026 at 11:34 am
It’s a LONG season for old men with a history of hamstring injuries
August 17th, 2026 at 11:40 am
Is Evans back practicing yet after his latest soft tissue injury?
Maybe Lynch can give him pointers on how to stay on the field after catching a 5 yard pass.
Loved Buccaneer Mike Evans. He’s a 49er now..so there’s that
August 17th, 2026 at 11:40 am
80 plus players on the team with a million stories that could be explored, or we could get another article about Evans. Oh look, there’s one…
Guys, Joe writes about what Joe finds interesting in the world of all-things Bucs. Joe’s been doing that here for 18-plus years. Joe finds Lynch talking about interacting with Evans interesting. The easiest thing in the world to do is to not read it. –Joe
August 17th, 2026 at 11:43 am
Who cares about Mike Evan’s. He is not on this team anymore.
August 17th, 2026 at 11:43 am
And this has exactly what to do with Bucs training camp?
August 17th, 2026 at 11:46 am
So far half the people responding to this article act like jilted lovers. For the most part Bucs fans love Mike Evans and have no ill will towards him. I hope Mike balls out and has a great year unless they are playing the Bucs. Everyone needs to get over Mike leaving. He has the right to live his life the way he wants to.
August 17th, 2026 at 11:49 am
Per Joe, it’s my blog so neener neener
You heard him guys. No more cliking on Mike Evans stories
August 17th, 2026 at 12:01 pm
SO MIKE EVANS!!!!
Mike is amazing. One of his most amazing traits is his politicing. Every QB that has come through Tampa has remarked that Evans was their first best friend. Winston gushed about Mike as his BFF. TB12 playing catch and going to live events with Mike. Baker the same thing. As soon as they are gone, so is Mike.
It’s SO SO SMART. You have 3-4 WR on the field. How do you get the QB to throw your way? You build rapport. You talk football off the field. You become friends.
BUT LYNCH ISN’T A QB … NO but he influences the coach, who influences the QB. He also signs the checks. You don’t think GMs like to sign players they are friends with? Mike is already pining for another contract with the guy who signs the contracts.
Mike plays the game within the game.
BRILLIANT!
August 17th, 2026 at 12:13 pm
I get that Joe, in fact I was almost going to say the same thing as part of my comment. But I would conjecture that all things Bucs no longer includes the guy. At least the current squad. Obviously he’s a part of our history. And trust me, I know that’s not the last story we’re going to get about him. But my main point remains. It would seem like you could mine some stories out of the guys that are trying to make the squad much less the current slate of proposed starters. As for not reading it, come on, you don’t want that. Obviously.
August 17th, 2026 at 12:13 pm
You guys should be more thankful
We were à joke when Mike Evans was drafted.
He hated losing. He wasn’t a diva. He helped to transform thé Buccaneer franchise.
He always gave his best. He never gave up.
Do you really blame him for leaving?
Our defense was a joke last year. They played with zero heart. Ànd Bowles didn’t make any of them accountable.
À bunch of guys should have been RELEASED during the season.
Mike Evans had every right to leave for à fantastic organization.
I watched the 49ers last year play with third string defenders!
Ànd they still looked better than us!
I’m a world traveler. Sometimes I get bored. Ànd I need a change
Mike needed a change. I get it.
Good luck Mike Evans! Thanks for working so hard in Tampa Bay!!!
August 17th, 2026 at 12:15 pm
Lakeland, trust me, we’re over him leaving. So much so that we don’t want it thrown in our face while reading about the team that he left. I’ll be curious how he performs this season and if he stays healthy. But it will be far far down on the list of things I care about regarding football. That ship has sailed.
August 17th, 2026 at 12:29 pm
What’s kinda ironic, is with all the 49er injuries – Mike is in a very similar position as he was here in Tampa, which leads me to believe there’s way more than meets the eye about his departure.
Mike is on a team that just drafted a pretty good rookie WR. In fact, Stribs is looking like a stud so far. Similar to EE last year. With pearsall going down, Mike is going to be fighting for receptions between Stribs, Mccaffery, Kittle, and Samuel.
That’s quite a receiver room, and one would think that Mike would have gotten more targets staying in Tampa. Only time will tell….
August 17th, 2026 at 12:37 pm
Well, I admit I read this because the headline made me curious. But like Joe says, we all have the option of not reading. I frequently excercise this option when the headline says something like “Bowles says…..comments…..explains….think…weighs in….evaluates…etc.”
August 17th, 2026 at 12:55 pm
This is Joe BUCS Fan. Stop reporting on other team’s players. This isn’t even about someone in the NFC South.