Illegal Tampering?
March 10th, 2026
Early talks with Mike Evans?
Well, well, well. Seems former Bucs great and 49ers general manager John Lynch and/or 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan may have been up to a little hijinks courting Mike Evans.
Per the NFL, teams are not allowed to speak with prospective free agents about future employment until the starting gun sounds for the beginning of legal tampering, which was noon Eastern time yesterday.
Former Bucs running back Shady McCoy, speaking on his weeknight show “Speakeasy,” said he was chilling with Evans at Evans’ crib over the weekend and Evans tipped off Shady that it was a real possibility he was going to San Francisco.
And not to eat seafood and sourdough bread.
“I was actually at his house Saturday,” Shady said. “And we talked about free agency. And he didn’t tell me he’s going to the Niners. But he said, ‘Yo, there is a great possibility I’m going to the Niners.’
“He was like, ‘Oh, I like them.'”
Now, does Joe expect NFL warden Roger Goodell to come down on the 49ers? Nah. That’s a glory franchise. Can’t tarnish their shield. The Bucs? Pppffftt. Who cares?
To be fair, one of the many reasons Joe goes to the combine is because the foundation of future contracts, trades and, yes, free agent signings, are consummated over bourbon and steaks at St. Elmo, beers in various hotel lobbies and the many nooks and crannies of the gargantuan Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis.
Still, it irks Joe that Evans basically seemed to have everything worked out with the 49ers days before legal tampering began. Man, he really wanted out of here. smh
(Hat tip: Chris Mathis of WDAE-AM 620/FM 95.7.)
So, LeSean McCoy was hanging out with Mike Evans at Mike’s house on Saturday and he mentioned to LeSean that “there is a great possibility I’m going to the 49ers.”#WeAreTheKrewepic.twitter.com/fck4YqAhdG
— Christopher Mathis 🎙 (@thechrismathis) March 10, 2026
March 10th, 2026 at 11:25 am
bleh, leave it alone.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:30 am
[Nah man, no reason to invoke a player’s wife into this. — Joe]
March 10th, 2026 at 11:30 am
F the Glazers. F Todd Bowles. F this franchise.
I’ve been a fan through the lost decade, and I think this might have literally ruined football for me. It’s $14 million in a state with 15% income tax. He literally just wanted OUT!!!
I can’t trust that the Bucs want to win. I said it last year, and I’ll say it again: they won’t get another penny from me with the Toilet Bowl as Head Coach. Not one cent.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:30 am
He is tired of losing. Cant blame him. Bowles is a loser. Give him all the talent in the world and he still can’t win games.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:31 am
Wish him well and I’ll still root for him. Bucs are my team and I see issues with glazers, licht and Bowles not making progress. Glazers kept Bowles and no way you tell me that Bowles (bad coaching) and licht (2 year deal vs 3 year deal in 204) aren’t reasons Mike left. So moving forward how does this team get better? Bowles is one major part but I believe licht needs to get more aggressive. We need improved defense and depth on OLine. So far all we got is a linebacker and running back. Rolling dice on the draft alone isn’t enough.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:32 am
Lol I don’t think the tax thing is this big thing everyone makes it out to be if it was an issue why aren’t all the studs of the NFL playing in places like Tampa lot of cope.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:35 am
I’m curious what Steve, Lee and Ira’s over/under is on what home game next season the “SELL THE TEAM” chants start.
Another year like this and I wont be shocked to hear Wirfs is demanding a trade.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:37 am
It’s not just about the taxes. At $14 million with roughly a 15% tax rate, he essentially left about $2.1 million per year on the table just to leave Tampa Bay and thats not counting the reports the Buccaneers offered him more. That speaks volumes about how little he believes in this team—the quarterback, the coach, and the ownership’s actual ability or willingness to win.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:37 am
Ash Says:
March 10th, 2026 at 11:32 am
Lol I don’t think the tax thing is this big thing everyone makes it out to be if it was an issue why aren’t all the studs of the NFL playing in places like Tampa lot of cope.
…..
It is 12.3% right off the top, then cost of living difference. Assuming Mike may keep his family in Tampa and arrange another living space during the season in CA.
I would say 15% right off the top. HE HAD TO REALLY WANT OUT.
It will be interesting to see if he says anything about his x teammates and x coaches.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:38 am
Stop please stop wit de Evans Baloney. Get OVER it.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:39 am
Rebuild is here it’s over due Licht knew Evans was gone that’s also why he hasn’t resigned bake or any FA that moves the needle
March 10th, 2026 at 11:40 am
Cue Roy Orbison….It’s Over. These Glazerhouse Bucs are going down for the count along with Coach Bowzo. All good players want to escape.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:41 am
Tampering shouldn’t bother anyone. Every team does it including the Bucs. Member Brady? If a team isn’t tampering they are limiting themselves
March 10th, 2026 at 11:41 am
why did the Bucs bring back Todd Bowles again?
March 10th, 2026 at 11:41 am
Mike isn’t just a great player….he was the most popular Buc……thousands of #13 Jerseys…….important to the community.
I don’t blame fans for feeling the loss.
But….we move on…..after all, Jerry Rice left the 49rs .
As far as Bowles being the reason….I suspect that was part of it but certainly not all…..
I am confident Mike will enter the Hall of Fame as a Buc.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:44 am
Bakerfan that is just cope there are three teams in California that have no issues fielding a team and they are all in a better competitive spot then what no income tax bucs are at the end of the day the bucs are just not a contender plain and simple.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:44 am
[Nah man, no reason to invoke a player’s wife into this. — Joe]
Wow Joe…. reading comprehension MUCH…. I was likening Evans to a cheating wife. NOT EVANS WIFE CHEATING…. MAN YOU BURN ME UP IF YOU CAN’T GET THAT.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:45 am
Evans is gone. Love him, but he’s gone. Time to move on.
As a Buc fan, it will suck watching him catch balls in another uni. As a 49ers fan, it might suck watching him hobble off the field everytime he makes a catch.
What hurts with Evans is WHY he left. I said it at the time, but when the Bucs let Coen walk by not promoting him to HC, it would set this franchise back for years to come.
As a Buc fan, I want nothing more for Bowles to prove us all wrong. Go out and win in the playoffs and prove 95% of this fan base wrong. Skeptical, but other than completely stopping being a Buc s fan, what other choices do we have?
March 10th, 2026 at 11:45 am
Players are taxed differently…away games aren’t taxed unless it is paid entirely as a bonus vs game to game checks.
lots of sour grapes
March 10th, 2026 at 11:46 am
let me add…away games are taxed where they are played…
March 10th, 2026 at 11:47 am
There is HOPE….I was an original fan during the John McKay years at the start. Losing is not so bad if you have no expectations. Tix are cheap in the parking lot. Tailgate party start in 3rd qtr. You can make creative head bags. Yell at them as they run off in to the tunnel. Stadium is not crowded. Traffic is not bad. 0-17 coming soon.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:48 am
Big deal.
He’s gone.
Ya better learn how to face it.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:48 am
I think he would have stayed for a ludicrous money contract, but it’s also obvious that he had already decided to take the loss on money to get out.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:49 am
What told me that Me13 didn’t man up and just say whe weaning more toward moving on. I get he’s a professional, but why sign off on your agent spewing all this hype about money and such when it boils down to Me13 making his mind up (more than likely) while still playing for the Bucs.
A part of me feels Mike might has been the locker room cancer (gasp I said it), complaining about coaching.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:50 am
Told=irks*
March 10th, 2026 at 11:53 am
Yeah sure, “tampering”!
Yo Evans, do you want to play for one of the leagues best hcs or that guy pretending he is one? Do you want to be a winner or stay a loser?
March 10th, 2026 at 11:53 am
Thanks Todd.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:54 am
Exactly, @Fanofdabucs. It’s just depressing to watch, and with so many other entertainment options in 2026, why would I devote my time, energy, or hard-earned money to this franchise at this point?
Mike Evans isn’t even on the Bucs anymore so F him too hope he tears his Hamstring in preseason, and at the end of the day it’s the NFL—Not For Long. I’m a Bucs fan, not a fan of the Glazers, Evans, Baker, or Licht. I liked the team before they were here, and I’ll like it after they’re gone.
Right now though it just feels like one of those seasons where I probably won’t give them much of my time—maybe just check the scores after the games to see how bad they lost. It’s frustrating and honestly kind of depressing after Tom Brady came in and turned the franchise around for a few years.
Seriously, I’d love to grab a new Emeka Egbuka jersey right now, but as long as Todd Bowles is the coach of this franchise, they won’t get another cent from me—not one penny.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:54 am
Ash Says:
March 10th, 2026 at 11:44 am
Bakerfan that is just cope there are three teams in California that have no issues fielding a team and they are all in a better competitive spot then what no income tax bucs are at the end of the day the bucs are just not a contender plain and simple.
…..
Ash, here is an angle that no one has really ever brought up just because most people don’t know. My sister-in-law handled the Workers Comp Claims for the NFL for years, just recently retired. She stated to me once, everyone wants to try to claim injury occurring in California, because of their workers comp laws.
Maybe Mike realizes that his his body is breaking down and to be best suited for injury in the state of CA.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:54 am
Sell the team, Glazers.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:57 am
Bowles is getting understandably crushed for this, but how is Baker getting a free pass? If he was so great he woulda been able to talk Evans into staying. They need to blow the whole thing up. Including Licht.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:57 am
It’s clear the Glazers kept Bowles because they didn’t want to pay two HC’s. Before the 2025 season they signed Bowles to an extension.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:57 am
Only 1 NFL team has an HC/DC double duty coach…..Ther is a reason for that.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:59 am
I vote for no further Mike Evans coverage until he retires. Dudes leave. It’s the NFL. Fanbase acting like a bunch of broken hearted teenagers. Its embarrassing.
March 10th, 2026 at 11:59 am
As a coach once told me, if you”re not cheating, you”re not trying.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
As the song “Illuminations” goes (which, of course, was Epcot’s long time night time show song…
We move on…
And we shall.
Good luck, Mike. With you gone, other plays will either shine or rot. It’s up to management to find more players that shine.
I know these are growing on trees, but FIND THE NEXT MIKE EVANS. Stop whining about the current 32 year old version moving on.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
not** growing on trees…
March 10th, 2026 at 12:01 pm
Was there friction between Bakefield and Evans….after getting thrown open and a SB with Brady? He gets bad balls from Bakefield?
March 10th, 2026 at 12:02 pm
Agree no mo Evans threads….
March 10th, 2026 at 12:02 pm
That’s your evidence?😂 He knows shady has a tv show Joe lol be serious.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:03 pm
Lol sounds like a lot of nothing and a lot of butt hurt.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:08 pm
Team is a bad joke
March 10th, 2026 at 12:10 pm
3rd and 28.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:10 pm
No Grover – he caught passes from Josh McCown. And Mike Glennon.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:11 pm
Remember. By having HC/DC Bowzo the Glazierhouses do not have to pay a DC. That is a tidy savings for them.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:14 pm
If you were a WR wouldn’t you rather play for Kyle Shanahan than Todd Bowles. The Niners play in a tough division and will be in the national spotlight.
The Bucs are is crap South and fold whenever they are in national games.
Easy decision for Mike. He’ll be playing with George Kittle and Christian McCaffery. The Bucs resigned sucky TE Cade Otton and their RB situation is iffy after Bucky Irwin showed he isn’t a starter.
Bucs with Bowles will be boring. Evans wants a Super Bowl and a team that will lift up his game.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:16 pm
So we’re just going to skip over Mike having a paid rep to talk to teams for him and give him his options? Or act like the scouting combine didn’t just happen and that being a big informal meeting of player reps and potential suitors?
Shady also said Mike was also interested in potentially landing with 49ers and mentioned Shanahan having a run game that could build up play action usage and get Mike in space to do his thing.
Can’t fool me Joe
March 10th, 2026 at 12:17 pm
Who wouldn’t want to go to the 49ers… Brady wanted to. Mike can finally get the exposure he deserves. Hopefully we can make a splash with the money saved but chances are that Todd won’t know how to use Trey Hendrickson anyway
March 10th, 2026 at 12:22 pm
We still have Chris. Jmac and Mek. Still one of the better reciever room.. Our line will be healthy. Baker will be healthy. I think the running game will be fine specially if Bucky get his head right. Now the secondary……meh
March 10th, 2026 at 12:26 pm
Joe,
When the Bucs were reportedly willing to go $20M, and Evans signs for $14M, that is not tampering; that is a guy who is determined to leave.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:29 pm
I wish all you guys would follow him.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:30 pm
hell yeah……raise hell……cancel the deal…
AND GET BIG MIKE BACK <————————– 🙂
March 10th, 2026 at 12:30 pm
Lynch was burned by this franchise, Evans sees no hope. Better believe him and that staff wanted to jump all over this opportunity. We as a fanbase are now in the same boat.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
Kyle Shanahan 2x super bowl loser!!! Enjoy the ride.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:33 pm
Duh. Mike been talking to #47 for weeks
March 10th, 2026 at 12:33 pm
I blame baker!
everybody blaming Bowles but evans has been playing with coach for 6 seasons! Evan’s missed 9 games he has to feel somewhat the blame for the mediocre season, to believe this season was the final straw is ludacris. Mike was doing a interview one time and said verbatim “ this team is in good hands with baker” that always rubbed me the wrong way
March 10th, 2026 at 12:36 pm
He wanted out and that’s his right. Dude put his body on the line for 12 years here. Let him go live his life.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:37 pm
@Ash people are bringing up the taxes because it makes it that much more of an indictment on what ME thinks of the teams chances.
He wanted out so badly that he was willing to pay millions in taxes to get out of Tampa.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:38 pm
@ Herbie: BLAME MIKE!
March 10th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
His career is over he might play 8 games this year it was a good break him going there let’s lessen the pain and sighn Hendricks
March 10th, 2026 at 12:42 pm
Mike put up with a ton of losing and bad coaching here. I don’t blame him at all for wanting as far away as he can get from the dumbass duo that is Licht/ Bowles.
And that’s exactly what he did.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:50 pm
Evans definitely wanted out of Tampa. If you look at the details of his contract, it’s really only one year with $16 million guaranteed. Subtract out the sky high state income tax, and that becomes less than $14.5 million. I’m fairly sure the Bucs would have offered substantially more than that.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:50 pm
Lynch is forever bitter with The Bucs…and understandably so. He backed into the Hall of Fame ( Ira is an excellent set-up man/closer ), somehow survived the Trey Lance debacle and Aiyuk situation last season as well. He’s favored and somewhat lucky.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:52 pm
@Jmark: Mike put up with a ton of losing and bad coaching here. I don’t blame him at all for wanting as far away as he can get from the dumbass duo that is Licht/ Bowles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You mean the super bowl and 4 div. titles? That’s more success than Shanahan has ever had!
March 10th, 2026 at 12:54 pm
Would be nice if we were given their first rounder because of it…
March 10th, 2026 at 12:56 pm
3-28
March 10th, 2026 at 12:56 pm
Who cares?
It changes nothing.
I’m sure every team does it.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:57 pm
A little perspective- per my Niner buddies on the state of the Niners:
* Shanahan and Lynch need to get fired.
*ME made a big mistake if he thought that the Niners were a functional organization – just ask Aiyuk, Deebo, Trent Williams, Greenlaw etc.
* Last year they took advantage of a 4th place schedule then melted down as usual in the playoffs
* Shanahan chokes, Purdy can’t throw deep, there is no run game and the O Line is not that good.
* If CMC gets hurt they are a 6-10 team again
* Last year Bowles out coached Shanahan and Salah in the Bucs win.
March 10th, 2026 at 1:05 pm
Better to let him go a year too early than a year too late. I love Evans but he doesn’t see the end of that contract. High risk, low reward signing. Hamstring issues only get worse over time, not better.
March 10th, 2026 at 1:07 pm
Anyhony
You must be new here.
March 10th, 2026 at 1:15 pm
Mike Evans hangs out with LeSean McCoy on purpose? McCoy is one of the dregs of humanity. Guess we didn’t really know Mike at all…
March 10th, 2026 at 1:22 pm
Amen StPete!
March 10th, 2026 at 1:32 pm
clearly you have some bitterness about what happened
let’s check back in 10 months and see just how many games Evans actually has played.
I don’t blame him for wanting to get away from the Bowles stench though.
March 10th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
he had his legendary run; hopefully he doesn’t rip our hearts out in SF
March 10th, 2026 at 1:39 pm
Evans just proved what we’ve been saying all along. Todd Bowles is a terrible HC and I think he’s a terrible DC. Never forget Mike walking back to the locker room screaming 3rd and 28! By retaining Bowles the Glazers have unwittingly set this franchise back a half decade at least and a locker room in complete disarray. Jason Licht is a dead man walking as well as far as I’m concerned. I look forward to NOT watching the games this year because most every home game will not be televised. Black out’s are a wonderful thing when you root for a garbage team with no heart, no direction and a lame duck HC + GM.
March 10th, 2026 at 2:01 pm
I wish we were doing some illegal tampering instead of virtually nothing.
March 10th, 2026 at 2:11 pm
i wish mike nothing but the best!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
March 10th, 2026 at 2:14 pm
Evans was happy to join a team with a real GM, OC\HC, and QB.
The 3rd and 28 night vs the Falcons sealed the deal.
Even thought he loss vs the Dolphins was even worse.
I’ll be rooting for Mike to succeed and get to another SB.
Bowles sucks and everyone knows it outside of OBP.
March 10th, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Best post ever by you bro. I agree – and move it out of FL 👍🏼
As far as Mike is concerned – he likely will not play in another SB. I doubt he’ll see 1k again.
His presence was going to be a distraction for the offense because of his desire to collect stats, and the teams need to placate him. At this point in his career he was probably our 4th best WR.
His departure will leave room for our talented, young WRs to ascend more rapidly. Zac may actually be breathing a sigh of relief and he may not be the only one though I’m sure no-one will say it out loud.
March 10th, 2026 at 2:47 pm
read what Ncalbucfan says about 8 posts above me…
it’s true…niners ain’t sheet guys…that org overachieved last year…and it’s kinda messy over there too…believe it or not, they’re no better than the bucs…
and the weather is gonna eat mike’s hammy’s for lunch there by the bay…
i’m a sf giants fan, and that weather out there is creepy odd for sure…
“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”
^^^ this is real…
niners was a oddly bad choice for big mike, but he will only realize that after a couple years there…
hopefully he racks up the stats for a few years tho, to jump past fitzgerald…or at least into the top 5 of all time
March 10th, 2026 at 2:48 pm
11 post up now ^^^^^^^
March 10th, 2026 at 2:49 pm
the ayuk situation was a “mega problemo” over there for them
March 10th, 2026 at 2:52 pm
FanofdaBucs I agree, I’m a BUCS fan not a fan of any 1 player. Enough crying over a older WR leaving get over it. What choice do we have. I’ll be pulling 100% for the BUCS next season no matter what, I hope the addition of new coachs ideas & energy pays off. Hopefully the BUCS get enough top talent thru free agency & the draft to improve the outcome on the field , win the South, go deep in the playoffs, maybe play in the big show ( now I’m really dreaming) but what I’m saying is once a BUCCANEER always a BUCCANEER!!!! Again I’ll dream a bit we win make the playoffs next year and the Bucs still make major changes to the top . What choice do we have like you said, I’m a Bucs Fan my choices are limited this year
March 10th, 2026 at 3:28 pm
love Mike forever for real but let’s get excited about egbuka next year he’s going to ball the hell out
March 10th, 2026 at 3:30 pm
He wanted another ring on his finger. Respect to Evan’s a great player Bye, and have fun. Hope he finds what he needs. Our WR room is mighty large and I suppose he wanted to be the only one catching to make up for losing 1000 yard season. Not going to cry over it, but I’m sure he is happy.
March 10th, 2026 at 3:35 pm
I wish him the best and if the Bucs are out and SF is in I will root for him but we have EE, Godwin, JMac , Tez and Cade, We have Bucky and Ganny, we will have our OLine back and we have a real OC,, The big man didn’t leave cause of the O, he left cause the last few years the D has been a total disgrace. Bowles forgot how to Coach defense, it happens sometimes when an old coaches schemes are outdated , Same thing happened to Monty,, until Bowles swallows his pride and gets a legit DC the Bucs are a 500 team.
That said I would still take a third or 4th rounder for the obvious tampering
March 10th, 2026 at 3:39 pm
The only reason the Mike Evans thing is still front-and-center on JBF is because Licht hasn’t even made a dent into fixing our problems. We’ve spent $25.5 mil per year to fill 3 holes (MLB, RB & TE), but lost Evans & Dean (Evans has an associated Dead CAP of $13.3 mil that we now have to eat this year). So the genius has pissed away almost $39 mil to sign 3 players & gave up 2 starters in the process.
But hey, let’s everyone on JBF keep pissin & moanin that Bowles is a lousy coach & that we’re gonna have a horrible year. In the meantime folks, the cupboard is bare.