The Buffalo Bills have yet to sign a free agent receiver; instead executing a trade for D.J. Moore to become the team’s new No. 1 wide receiver. Still, Moore is coming off his worst season in the NFL, and the Bills need more help out wide than he alone can provide.
One potential free agent target some in Bills Mafia were considering, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans, could have been that help. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers, who arguably didn’t seem to fit his wishlist as well as Buffalo did, especially at the quarterback position.
On Thursday, Evans addressed the media for the first time as a Niner and explained why he chose San Fran over Buffalo.
Mike Evans gives Bills Mafia a frustrating explanation for why he chose 49ers over the Bills
“So I was looking at here, Buffalo Bills, teams that needed a No. 1 wide receiver,” Evans said. “I liked this place. This was my No. 1 spot on my own (research).”
The 49ers needed help at wide receiver, too, thanks to the bizarre saga surrounding Brandon Aiyuk and his eventual exit from the team. Evans easily steps in as the No. 1 in San Francisco, where he’s hoping to be the difference for the 49ers in getting over their own playoff hump.
"I feel like they were one piece away, and I'm that piece."
While Bills Mafia certainly wasn’t in consensus on whether Evans was worth targeting or not, there’s an argument to be made that he would have been more valuable to Buffalo than San Francisco. Again, the difference at quarterback should be enough. Brock Purdy isn’t a bad quarterback by any means, but he is clearly not on Josh Allen’s level just yet, if he’ll ever be.
To be fair to Evans’ decision, the 49ers have an entrenched head coach in Kyle Shanahan who has taken the franchise to multiple Super Bowls. While the Bills are still championship contenders under Joe Brady, Shanahan has already been there with Purdy under center.
Still, the Bills' offense would have benefited greatly with the added threat of Evans out wide. Moore, Evans, and Khalil Shakir would be a championship-ready receiving trio, even if the group would be on the older side. Each still carries the veteran saviness that Allen can match, and Evans would have given the championship experience the offense is missing.
Evans could have been that piece for Buffalo, who still needs to find more help, likely in the NFL Draft. Still, no matter how promising the prospect they draft, or the free agent they may sign instead, could be, odds are, they won’t bring the same value in 2026 that Evans could have brought to Buffalo.
Nonetheless, the three-year, $42.5 million deal he got from the 49ers would have been a bit rich for the Bills’ blood anyway. Bradley Chubb got a similar deal to join Buffalo’s defense instead, so at least the two key positions of need have been addressed with viable veterans in the end. In hindsight, it will likely feel better knowing the defense has Chubb instead of sulking on the what-could-have-beens with Evans.